Fake gold bars used to dupe Surat jeweller of ₹23L

Surat: A city jeweller was cheated of Rs 23 lakh after fraudsters swapped 30 gold rings for counterfeit gold bars, prompting Katargam police to book two persons and launch an investigation into the duplicate gold scam.

The victim, Mahesh Jikadara (38), runs a jewellery firm in partnership in Surat and operates a business website listing contact details and products. According to the complaint, he received a call on May 15 from a man identifying himself as Ashok Jain, who claimed to own a shop named Ambika Gold in Jodhpur.

Jain offered to exchange pure gold for 30 gold rings. When Jikadara initially refused, Jain persisted. Jikadara then insisted that the rings be collected from his office in Surat, to which Jain agreed.

The next day, Jain told Jikadara that his relative, Abhishek, lived in Katargam and would collect the rings. He later requested delivery, claiming Abhishek had guests at home and could not travel.

Jikadara sent his manager, Pranav, to the address provided. Abhishek handed over two 100-gram gold bars packed in transparent covers and took the 30 gold rings in exchange. The bars appeared to be of foreign origin, which led Pranav to grow suspicious and have them tested at a laboratory. They were found to be fake.

Jikadara tried contacting Jain after being informed but found him untraceable. Realizing he had been cheated, he approached Katargam police and filed a complaint of cheating against two persons.