Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh): A businessman was duped of Rs 13.6 lakh by two men who allegedly sold him a fake gold necklace claiming that it was an ancient artifact, in Sadar area of Jabalpur district.
A case was registered under sections 318(4), 3(5) of BNS on Thursday night and police said they are examining CCTV footage of Sadar area.
According to the police, Chandramal Samtani (61), a resident of Mandla, had paid around Rs.13,60,000 cash in exchange for a gold necklace weighing around 2 kg on December 13.
Police said the two accused had met Samtani at his shop in Mandla on December 11, claiming to be labourers working for a road contractor. They alleged that they had unearthed a necklace made of gold beads while digging a pit and wanted to sell it.
To gain Samtani’s trust, they gave him a single bead to get its purity tested in the market. They promised to return later if he decides to purchase the necklace, police said.
After Samtani confirmed the gold bead’s authenticity, the accused contacted him on his mobile phone stating their work in Mandal was finished and they had moved to Jabalpur.
On December 13, the complainant accompanied by his sons met the duo near a ground in Sadar. The accused gave him two more beads for testing. After getting the two other beads tested and being satisfied by their purity, Samtani agreed to purchase the necklace, police said.
After handing over the necklace in exchange for the cash, the suspects went away in an autorickshaw. When Samtani took the entirel necklace to the jeweller to check its purity, it was found to be fake.
He tried to contact the accused on the phone number they had earlier used but it was switched off.
