Two arrested in Davangere for cheating a Telangana man of Rs 8 lakh by selling fake gold coins

Two persons who claimed to have inherited gold coins tried to cheat a Telangana man after collecting Rs 8 lakh from him.They reportedly handed over fake gold coins and fled. The police acted swiftly and arrested one of the cheaters and recovered part of the money

Davanagere: In a swift operation, the Jagalur Police have arrested two men involved in a scam where they cheated a man of Rs 8 lakh by giving him fake gold coins. The arrested are identified as Marappa (58) and Prakash (29), both residents of Battanahalli village in Kottur taluk, Vijayanagar district. A third accused, Suresh, a lorry driver from Hampi, is currently absconding.

According to police, the trio lured the victim, Ramavat Bhaskar of Chalakurthi Tanda in Telangana’s Nalgonda district, by claiming to possess half a kilogram of genuine gold coins. Believing their story, Bhaskar paid Rs 8 lakh in exchange for the coins, only to later discover they were fake.

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The fraudulent transaction took place near Kananakatte village in Jagalur taluk.. Suresh, who had previously worked in Chalakurthi in 2021, had befriended Bhaskar and established contact over mobile. He later contacted Bhaskar, claiming he had inherited a cache of gold coins and convinced him to travel to Ballari for the purchase.

Bhaskar met the accused at the designated location, where they handed him the fake coins and took the cash before fleeing. Upon realizing he had been cheated, Bhaskar filed a complaint with the Jagalur Police.

Under the leadership of PI Sidramayya, police launched ‘Operation Fake Coin’ and arrested Marappa and Prakash. Authorities recovered Rs 7.5 lakh in cash, 505 grams of fake gold coins, and 2 grams of genuine gold coins from them.

Efforts are underway to trace and apprehend Suresh, who remains at large. Police have urged the public to exercise caution and verify the authenticity of such transactions to avoid falling prey to similar scams.