Mira-Bhayandar: A gold ornament maker and his friend, who runs a worship material shop, were cheated of ₹7.5 lakh by a three-member gang who sold them fake gold beads, claiming them to be a part of excavated treasure.
In his police complaint, jeweller Hardhan Mayti stated that his friend, Robin Das, informed him that three people, including an elderly woman, approached the latter for selling two gold beads. Quoting the trio, Das said that the valuables were a part of treasure which they had found in the Panchvati area of Nashik while working as excavation labourers at a construction site.
To win the trust of the aggrieved, the accused left after handing over the beads to Das, saying he could check the authenticity of the yellow metal. Before leaving, the trio handed over a phone number and asked them to come to Mira Road if they were interested in the deal. Das and Mayti got the beads, weighing 0.440 grams, checked at a testing unit. They were found to be genuine.
The duo called the accused and expressed their interest in buying the remaining gold. Subsequently, they were asked to come near the fish market in the Shanti Nagar area of Mira Road. This time, the gang handed over a chain made out of similar gold beads and demanded ₹10 lakh. Mayti gave ₹7.50 lakh and started verifying the genuineness of the metal with a 'kasauti' (testing) stone.
However, the trio hurriedly left the spot while giving the excuse that it was risky for them to wait for long. When the duo tested the beads the next day, they were shocked to find that the items were fake. On December 15, a cheating case was filed at the Naya Nagar police station.
