Nagpur: TEHSIL Police have apprehended three individuals on charges of duping a 39-year-old man out of Rs 1.50 lakh by peddling counterfeit gold coins. Identified as Dadarao Sitaram Pawar (65), his son Rahul Dadarao Pawar, and Ishwar Anna Pawar (25), all residents of Sadguru Ward, Navi Basti, Badnera, district Amravati, the accused trio hails from Khamgaon.
Law enforcement seized 1,140 brass coins with a golden polish, each weighing 880 milligrams, along with Rs 65,000 in cash, two cellphones, and other items valued at a collective Rs 1.22 lakh from their possession.
The scam unfolded when Dadarao Pawar approached Raju Ramdhar Verma (39), a resident of Pach Zopda, Mini Mata Nagar, claiming that his wife had unearthed a cauldron containing two kilograms of gold coins while digging in an agricultural field in Wardha. After gaining Verma’s trust, he offered to sell him the coins, giving him four as a sample.
Verma, suspecting the authenticity of the coins, sought verification from a local jeweler who confirmed they were genuine gold. Dadarao then convinced Verma to bring Rs 1.50 lakh in cash to acquire half a kilogram of the alleged gold coins from a location in Guard Line, Mominpura, the next day.
Accompanied by his wife, Verma met Dadarao and his associates Rahul and Kishor alias Ishwar at the designated spot and exchanged the cash for the coins. However, upon inspection by another jeweler, Verma discovered the coins were counterfeit.
Following Verma’s complaint, Tehsil Police promptly registered a case under Sections 420 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code and apprehended the accused trio within 24 hours. The arrests were conducted under the supervision of senior police officials, led by PI Sandeep Bua, API Shashikant Musale, ASI Anil Thakur, and others.
