Attractive returns is cheats’ sure-fire method of luring

Though several businessmen fall prey to fraudsters, not many of them come forward and file complaints because they feel ashamed of the way they were cheated, says Avinash Mohanty, DCP of the Detective Department of the Central Crime Station (CCS), Hyderabad. He adds that the public should remain cautious in order to avoid falling into the traps of criminal gangs.

“Businessmen should not indulge in shady ways making money in the first place. One should be very careful while making a deal with an unknown party,” he says.

On January 30, sleuths of a special team from the Hyderabad CCS arrested two natives of Gujarat, Kakal Husen alias Basheer alias Farook alias Ashvak (42), and Juneja Latif Mahamad (37), who had been cheating people all over country under the guise of operating a gold business.

“They contact people in the gold jewellery business through social media and offer to arrange for gold at less than the market rate. When their victims contact them, they take their money and flee claiming to be Customs officials conducting a raid,” says Mr Mohanty. He says that businessmen should know that the value of gold is the same throughout the country.

In the month of June last year, the Hyderabad Police nabbed two gangs and seized `38 lakh from them. The arrested men, Shakeel (26), a student, and Akbar (35), a transporter from Haryana, had kidnapped Praduman Lohia, the director of Gajanan Tamra the deal is not legal,” about 2 kg of gold, the DCP says. which he wanted to

Cops from the sell for cheap due to Hyderabad CCS financial problems. He nabbed and arrested would ask his victims Santa Kumar, the previously-absconding to come to the Shimoga district of organiser of Korcha, Karnataka to collect a an interstate criminal sample of the gold. gang known to target “The victim would wealthy men under go and meet members the guise of selling of the gang at an isolated them “unearthed spot. He would gold,” two months ago. return with four pellets

Santa Kumar, a resident of gold, which he of the Davangere would get verified as district of Karnataka, real. He would then go would call his victims back with lakhs of and convince them he rupees to purchase the knew them very well. entire lot of gold, only He would tell them to receive a lot of that an old man had brass,” says Mr found a pot containing Mohanty. Industries in Cherlapally, a leading manufacturer of copper wires, and Bharat Lila, a relative of his.

“The accused asked to meet with the victims under the pretext of conducting business. The victims went to meet them, with cash, without conducting proper background checks. They were taken captive and kept hostage until their families paid for their release. They were even robbed of their valuables and belongings,” says K.C.S. Raghuvir, Additional DCP of the CCS.