Ullal Police Uncover Fake Gold Pledging Scheme, Arrest Six
Ullal: Six people have been caught by the Ullal police for tricking a finance firm in Thokkottu with fake gold jewelry. Police are still searching for one additional suspect who has not yet been located.
Those arrested are Vikram from Maharashtra, Ismail from Harekal, Muhammad Misbah, Umar Farooq from Katipalla, Imtiyaz from Ullal Melangadi, and Zaheem Ahmed from Manchila. Naufal from Hejamady is still missing, and police are searching for him.
The investigation was initiated following an incident on November 22, at approximately 5:00 PM, when Naufal and Zaheem Ahmed visited a finance firm situated on Konaje–Vivekananda Vidyavardhaka Road. The pair pledged two gold chains weighing a total of 41 grams as collateral. According to the police report, proprietor Dinesh Rai and staff member Nikesh examined the ornaments, noting the presence of a BIS 916 hallmark. Furthermore, initial testing using the stone test method indicated that the ornaments were genuine gold. Consequently, a loan of Rs 3.55 lakh was approved and disbursed in the name of Zaheem Ahmed.
Two days later, on November 24, at approximately 5:00 PM, Imtiyaz, a resident of Ullal Melangadi, visited the same finance firm. He pledged two chains and a bracelet weighing 55 grams and requested a loan of Rs 4.80 lakh. These ornaments also bore the 916 purity marking and ostensibly passed the stone test. When questioned about the origin of the items, Imtiyaz stated that they were gold ornaments purchased in Dubai.
However, inconsistencies in Imtiyaz’s statements aroused the suspicion of Dinesh Rai, the owner of the finance firm. Rai subsequently took the ornaments pledged by Imtiyaz, along with those previously deposited by Zaheem, to a trusted goldsmith, Uday Acharya, in Mangaluru, for further analysis. Upon subjecting the ornaments to acid and heat, Acharya observed the emission of foam, definitively confirming that the ornaments were, in fact, counterfeit.
Following this determination, Dinesh Rai filed a formal complaint at the Ullal Police Station. Based on the evidence presented in the complaint, a case was registered against Zaheem Ahmed, Naufal, and Imtiyaz. Imtiyaz was the first to be apprehended, and during the subsequent interrogation, he provided crucial information that led to the arrest of the other accused individuals.
As a result of the arrests, police have recovered six mobile phones, Rs 47,000 in cash, and 141 grams of 9-carat fake gold ornaments. The investigation remains ongoing as authorities seek to locate and apprehend the remaining suspect, Naufal of Hejamady, and to determine the full extent of the fraudulent scheme.