Nagpur: The city witnessed a sensational case of fraud in which a retired employee was cheated of Rs 35 lakh after being lured with the promise of purchasing gold at a throwaway price. The accused, led by a property broker, first gained the victim’s trust by showing a genuine sample of gold and later executed the scam by handing over brass bars instead of gold.
Ajni Police have registered a case against the prime accused, property broker Vijay Baburao Ghogle (55), a resident of Tarodi, Wathoda, along with seven others, and have launched a detailed investigation.
Gold Rate
15 dec 2025
Old acquaintance turns into costly trap
The complainant, Pramod Mute, a resident of Omkar Nagar, Ajni, is a retired employee who is also engaged in the business of Ayurvedic products. He had a long-standing acquaintance with Vijay Ghogle, who had earlier facilitated the sale of one of Mute’s plots. Aware that Mute had received a substantial amount from the land deal, Ghogle allegedly exploited this information and began luring him with an “investment opportunity.”
Story of ‘gold found’ in Guwahati
According to police, Ghogle told Mute that some of his associates had found gold during well-digging work in Guwahati and were willing to sell it at a price much lower than the market rate. To win Mute’s confidence, Ghogle showed him a video of a gold bar and persuaded him to travel to Guwahati to finalise the deal.
In Guwahati, Ghogle introduced Mute to six to seven individuals, including Rajiv and Sangeeta. To further build trust, the accused allegedly cut a small piece from a purported gold bar and gave it to Mute for testing. After returning to Nagpur, Mute got the sample examined, which turned out to be genuine gold, reinforcing his belief in the deal.
Lure of high returns
Ghogle then offered to sell 45 tolas of gold for Rs 35 lakh, claiming that the deal would fetch a profit of over Rs 10 lakh at prevailing market rates. Tempted by the promise of huge gains, Mute agreed to the proposal.
He later travelled to Guwahati again with Rs 35 lakh in cash along with Ghogle. There, the accused accepted the money and handed over what they claimed were gold bars. However, after returning to Nagpur and getting the metal tested, Mute was shocked to learn that the bars were made of brass.
Realising that he had been cheated, Mute attempted to contact Ghogle, but the latter allegedly stopped responding to his calls. Mute then approached Ajni Police, who registered a case of cheating against Ghogle and seven others.
Police officials said a thorough investigation is underway to ascertain the exact role of each accused, trace the flow of money and uncover the wider network involved in the fraud. Citizens have been cautioned against falling prey to offers of cheap gold or unusually high returns and advised to verify such transactions thoroughly before dealing with large sums of money.
