Black magician, aides held for selling fake gold in Hyderabad

 They duped one into buying brass biscuits for Rs 50,000

Hyderabad: No matter how cliched the old proverb that goes all that glitters is not gold might be, the lure of the yellow metal remains intact. So does the use of the same by fraudsters to cheat the gullible. It was exactly the theme of a fake gold scam operated by an RMP from Old Mallepally, who was nabbed by the Shamshabad Police Special Operations Team on Thursday along with three others. Eleven kilos of fake gold biscuits weighing around 5.85kg, Rs 8 lakh and other material were seized from them.

The arrested persons were Syed Dasthagiri Ahmed (65), an RMP from Old Mallepally, Shaik Hafeez (46) from Charminar, Ali Akbar Tayyabi (50) from Chatta Bazaar and MIrza Abbas Ali Sajjad (46) from Miralam Mandi. One suspect, Abdul Faheem (48) from Yakutpura, was absconding.

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According to Cyberabad Police Commissioner VC Sajjanar, Syed Dasthagiri Ahmed indulged in black magic and convinced people, mostly who visited his clinic, that he could unearth gold treasure hidden in their house or other places. He lured Faheem and Hafeez similarly, while Sajjad, a realtor, had approached him saying his mother was having dreams about a hidden treasure.

“Ahmed visited Sajjad’s house and convinced him that his mother would die if the hidden gold in the house was not found. He agreed to perform a ritual costing Rs 5 lakh, for which Sajjad agreed to pay in installments and paid Rs 3 lakh as advance,” Sajjanar said, adding that Ahmed then collected brass pieces and got them coated in gold through Faheem. On the day of the ritual, Ahmed dug pits at different spots and after diverting attention of Sajjad and his family members, hid the fake gold pieces in those pits.

“After performing the ritual, he again dug up the pits and took out the fake gold. He did not allow Sajjad to touch them saying they had spiritual powers which could kill those who touch them. He wrapped the ‘gold’ in a cloth and gave it for safe custody,” the Commissioner said. However, Sajjad could not hold back his anxiety and curiosity, and opened the cloth to discover the brass pieces. When questioned, Ahmed replied the gold had changed into brass because the cover was opened before it should have been.

To make up for the loss of his money, Sajjad along with Tayyabi decided to sell the brass biscuits projecting them as gold and at cheap rates. They took Rs 50,000 from one Mubeen and handed over the fake gold biscuit to him. Mubeen, realising he was tricked, approached the police.

Based on a complaint, the SOT tracked and nabbed the suspects, who were produced before court and remanded in judicial custody.

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