09 November,2023 10:06 AM IST | Mumbai | Samiullah Khan
Representative image/iStock
A Mumbai-based chartered accountant lost R30 lakh to fraudsters who had lured him with the prospect of buying dirt mixed with gold dust that was supposed to be worth R2.5 crore. This sum would have fetched over 500 grams of gold in the market, however, the CA ended up with a sackload of worthless dirt.
One of the fraudsters who gave his name as Mohan Chaudhary, a resident of Haryana, had systematically won the trust of the CA over several months after their first meeting on a train to Jaipur in May 2023. According to police sources, the CA, who is a resident of Kandivali stated to the police, "In May, while traveling to Jaipur with my wife on the Garib Rath Express, I met an individual who introduced himself as Mohan Chaudhary, a resident of Haryana. During their conversation, Chaudhary claimed to be a corporator and was involved in the business of buying and selling cattle across the country. The two exchanged contact information."
Last month, Chaudhary, accompanied by an associate, came to Mumbai to meet the CA and brought with them grains and ghee. Subsequently, on another occasion, he visited the CA's residence and brought jaggery.
On November 2, Chaudhary, along with his associate Kishan Chaudhary, visited the CA's house again, this time delivering 15 kg of ghee and paneer. During their conversation, Chaudhary told the CA about a widow residing in his village. Chaudhary had told the CA that the widow's husband had served in the Indian Army on the Bangladesh border and had brought back dirt that, when melted, yielded gold. Her relatives had melted some of the dirt and created gold ornaments. However, when the widow requested the gold back, her relatives refused to return it. As a result, she no longer trusted her relatives and sought the CA's assistance in selling the dirt to secure funds for the marriage of her two daughters. Chaudhary proceeded to melt the dirt in front of the CA, resulting in what appeared to be 23.6 carat gold. The CA got confirmation on the purity of the gold sample at a jewelry shop in Borivali.
On November 4, Chaudhary, along with his companion, returned to the CA's house, stating that the woman who possessed the dirt mixed with gold was unwell and was now staying with her brother in Kalyan. Her brother had bought the soil but was unwilling to visit the CA's house due to a lack of trust. The CA, accompanied by Chaudhary, went to meet the person near his residence. They saw an individual holding a large jute sack containing soil similar to what Chaudhary had used to extract gold.
The person demanded R2.5 crore from Chaudhary for one sack of dirt and finally settled for R50 lakh. The CA after tapping into all his savings including fixed deposit could only raise R30 lakh. Chaudhary came to the rescue of CA as he assured that he could collect the remaining payment from him when they returned to their village.
Later that night, the CA and his family attempted to extract gold from the soil by heating it. However, even after hours of heating, the soil did not yield any gold. When they contacted Chaudhary and informed him of the situation, he promised to come the next day to assess the situation. The next day, the CA found that Chaudhary's phone was switched off. Realizing that he had fallen victim to a scam, the CA promptly reported the incident to the police.
"A case has been registered against Mohan Chaudhari, Kishan Chaudhary and an unknown person under sections 406, 420, and 34 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) on Monday, and further investigation is underway," said a police officer.
