Fake Cops Dupe Senior Citizen Of Gold Jewellery Worth ₹1.19 Lakh In Pune's Manchar

Pune: Fraudsters posing as police officers duped a 59-year-old man and fled with gold jewellery worth approximately ₹1.19 lakh in Eklahare village of Ambegaon taluka, exposing a growing trend of criminals exploiting the credibility of the police to target unsuspecting citizens. A case has been registered against two unidentified accused at Manchar Police Station.

According to police, the complainant, Prakash Gurusangappa Patil (59), a resident of Eklahare, was riding his two-wheeler from Manchar to his village at around 11.35am when two men on a black motorcycle intercepted him near Eklahare on the Pune-Nashik Highway.

The duo introduced themselves as police officers and claimed that a woman had recently been murdered in the area and that her gold jewellery had been stolen. They told Patil they were searching for the culprits and warned him that wearing gold ornaments while travelling was unsafe.

Believing their story, Patil removed his jewellery as instructed. The accused asked him to place his 16.100-gram gold chain and 6.300-gram gold ring with a Ganpati pendant into a handkerchief. Using sleight of hand, they allegedly swapped the original jewellery with a fake bundle, returned it to Patil, and fled on their motorcycle.

Patil realised he had been cheated only after the accused had escaped. The stolen ornaments are valued at around ₹1.19 lakh, according to the complaint.

Manchar Police have registered a case of cheating against the two unidentified accused and launched a search to trace them.

Manchar Police have urged citizens not to trust strangers claiming to be police officers who ask them to remove or hand over their valuables. People have been advised to verify the identity of such individuals and immediately contact the nearest police station if they encounter any suspicious activity.