Fake gold, silver haul exposes interstate fraud network in Ratlam; 6 held

Indore: An interstate gang allegedly carrying nearly 14kg of fake gold and silver jewellery, along with silver coins, cash and an electronic weighing scale, has been busted in Ratlam, exposing a fraud model that relied on convincing traders and unsuspecting buyers that imitation precious-metal articles were genuine.Manak Chowk police arrested six people — three men and three women — allegedly linked to the gang and recovered 11.8kg of fake gold ornaments and an idol, 2.2kg of fake silver jewellery, nine silver coins weighing 400gm, Rs 30,000 in cash and an electronic weighing scale.Police said the accused, who had travelled to Ratlam from Haryana, were allegedly looking for traders and customers whom they could target by passing off counterfeit precious-metal articles as genuine. The arrests followed a tip-off on Friday about a group of suspicious men and women from Faridabad moving around the city with fake gold and silver articles.During questioning, the accused allegedly admitted to cheating a Ratlam trader, Mustafa Tambawala, on the same day by presenting a fake gold piece as genuine. Police said the accused also disclosed their alleged involvement in similar cheating incidents in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Investigators are now probing whether the gang operated in other states and whether more victims were duped using the same modus operandi.The three men arrested have been identified as Sagar Rathore (29) and his father Ganesh Rathore (55), both residents of Ballabhgarh in Faridabad, and Mansingh Rai (36), a resident of Lucknow. The identities of the three women arrested have not been disclosed by police.Police suspect the accused may have used the promise of a profitable deal to persuade victims to buy the articles without proper verification.DIG Nimish Agarwal said a case has been registered at Manak Chowk police station under relevant sections of the BNS. Police are questioning the accused about the source of the counterfeit jewellery, their network, previous transactions and possible victims in other states.POINTERSModus OperandiGang travelled with ready stock of counterfeit precious-metal articles, indicating the Ratlam visit may have been part of a planned operationRecovery of jewellery, an idol and coins suggests that the gang may have tailored fake merchandise to different types of buyersBesides individual customers, the gang targeted traders and shopkeepers, potentially giving them access to larger transactionsOperation involved movement across state borders, making identification of previous victims and linking cases registered in different states crucial to the investigation.You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Indore | Silver Rate in Indore | Bank Holidays in Indore | Public Holidays in Indore | Petrol Price in Indore | Diesel Price in Indore | CNG Price in Indore | LPG Price in IndoreStay updated with the latest Indore news. Download the TOI App.