Palghar, Maharashtra, Nov 29: The Kashimira Crime Detection Unit (Unit 1) has arrested a habitual fraudster who allegedly cheated a gold trader of jewellery worth ₹27.5 lakh by posing as a genuine property buyer.
The complainant, Ashok Jitmal Jain (57), a gold jeweller from Bhayandar West, had listed his flat for sale on the property website NoBroker.com. Between July 17 and July 29, 2025, he came into contact with the accused, identified as Tarkeshwar Gorakhnath Pandey alias Rohit Pandey, through the platform.
Accused Used Fake Property Deal to Gain Trust
Police said the accused met Jain in person, gained his trust, and handed him a cheque of ₹66 lakh as advance payment for the flat. Using this cheque as proof of financial credibility, Pandey allegedly convinced Jain to hand over 249.350 grams of gold jewellery, valued at ₹27.5 lakh, under the pretext of purchasing it.
However, soon after receiving the jewellery, Pandey reportedly issued a stop-payment instruction for the cheque and disappeared, making no payment for the gold. Following the fraud, Bhayandar Police registered a case on September 16, 2025, under Sections 318(4) and 316(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Accused was constantly changing locations
According to investigators, Pandey had been evading arrest by frequently changing his residence across Delhi, Noida, and Mumbai. Through technical surveillance and inputs from informants, the crime branch traced him to Fountain Hotel, Versova Naka, Thane, where he was apprehended on November 27, 2025. He has since been handed over to Bhayandar Police for further investigation.
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A repeat offender with multiple cases
Police revealed that Pandey is a seasoned criminal with several past fraud cases registered against him. Apart from the present Bhayandar case, he is wanted in another cheating case at Mira Road Police Station.
His past criminal record includes cases registered between 2009 and 2022 at police stations in Bhayandar, Kasarvadavali, VB Nagar, and Malad—mostly under Sections 420 (cheating), 406 (criminal breach of trust), and 34 (common intention) of the IPC.
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