He had mortgaged 54 idols that he claimed were made of gold, cops suspect larger racket a foot
Jitendra Sundar Bhopa
The Charkop police have busted an interstate gang that cheated jewellers. The cops on Sunday arrested a man from Rajasthan, Jitendra Sundar Bhopa, 29, for allegedly duping a Kandivli-based jeweller of Rs 43 lakh by mortgaging fake gold idols of deities. Bhopa, along with several accomplices, including men, a woman and a child, posed as a family to gain the trust of jewellers. However, it was revealed that the woman and child were hired from Rajasthan for this purpose.
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The gang used a unique modus operandi to carry out the fraud. Initially, Bhopa mortgaged small amounts of actual gold with the jeweller, Kamlesh Mangilal Jain, 46, on four occasions, building a sense of trust. In August, Bhopa mortgaged 54 idols, claiming that they were made of gold. Due to the trust he had established by always paying off the mortgage before the due date, Jain blindly trusted him and handed over Rs 43 lakh.
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“When Jain examined the idols, he discovered that they were not made of gold. At that point, he reported the fraud to the police, leading to a case being registered under sections of the Indian Penal Code for cheating and breach of trust,” said a source from the Charkop police station. The source added, “Under the guidance of DCP Ajay Kumar Bansal, Senior Inspector Jyoti Bhople Bagul, API Bhushan Thoke and PSI Ramesh Wakchaure began the investigation and traced the accused.” DCP Bansal told mid-day, “Looking at their modus operandi, it seems the gang might have duped many jewellers in the city.”
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