Fraudsters dupe Mumbai, Chennai gold traders of ₹75 lakh using temple donation scam | representative pic
Mumbai: Fraudsters impersonating prominent gold traders from Mumbai and Chennai duped two angadias of Rs 75 lakh and fled, police said. The Lokmanya Tilak Marg police have registered a case against three unidentified individuals under sections 319(2), 318(4) and 3(5) of BNS Act and launched an investigation, Said Police.
According to Police, the complainant, Vikas Singhi, (51) gold trader from Chennai, runs a jewelry business in the Sahukarpet area. His relative, Parasmal Jain, operates a finance business in Chennai. On December 12, while Jain was at the Mumbai airport, he received a WhatsApp call from an unknown mobile number.
The WhatsApp profile picture displayed the photo of a well-known trader, Prithviraj Kothari. The caller introduced himself as Kothari and claimed that funds for temple construction were urgently needed in Mumbai. He added that Chennai-based trader Anil Jain held the funds and requested that Rs 75 lakh be handed over to a person named Ashok Bhai in Mumbai.
Since Prithviraj Kothari was well-acquainted with Jain, the latter believed the caller. Jain informed Singhi about the call, who, in turn, instructed his brother to coordinate the transaction. Shortly after, Singhi’s brother received a WhatsApp call from another individual claiming to be Anil Jain. He asked for the funds to be delivered to Ashok Bhai, citing urgency.
Trusting the caller, Singhi’s brother arranged for the funds through two angadias Rs 35 lakh from Ganesh Angadia and Rs 40 lakh from P. Vijay Angadia. The amount was handed over to a man who identified himself as Ashok Bhai at the angadia’s office.
After receiving the money, the fraudsters switched off their phones and disappeared. Upon realizing they had been duped, Vikas Singhi lodged a complaint at the Lokmanya Tilak Marg police station against the three unidentified individuals who posed as Prithviraj Kothari, Anil Jain, and Ashok Bhai. The police are investigating the case and trying to trace the culprits.
