Shwetha Gowda, a 26-year-old woman from Bagalagunte, has been arrested by the Commercial Street police for allegedly defrauding a prominent jewellery shop and stealing nearly 3 kilos of gold, valued at Rs2.42 crore. The police have also seized gold, a car, and other valuables from her possession.
Gowda, who posed as a close associate of former minister Varthur Prakash, repeatedly visited Navaratna Jewellers, owned by Sanjay Bafa, under the pretense of starting a new gold outlet. She convinced Bafa that she would purchase large quantities of gold for her business, promising to show it to her family before completing the transactions.
Between October 26 and December 8, Gowda was able to convince Bafa to deliver 2.945 kg of gold, claiming she needed to show it to her family. However, once in possession of the gold, Gowda never returned for the final transaction. When Bafa demanded the return of the gold or payment, Gowda allegedly threatened him.
The police traced Gowda to Mysuru, where she was arrested. Upon investigation, it was revealed that she had been involved in similar fraudulent activities before, including a previous case of cheating a jeweller in Yelahanka using the same tactics.
In a statement regarding the case, Varthur Prakash clarified that he had only met Gowda a few months ago when she introduced herself as a social worker. He confirmed that he had no knowledge of her dealings with the jeweller and learned about the situation only from the police. Prakash assured that he would attend the police inquiry scheduled for Monday.
