The Amreli local crime branch has busted a gang involved in cheating victims by promising ‘cheap gold.’ The case came to light following a complaint by Vanita Chauhan on June 16 at Dhari police station, alleging that she was defrauded of Rs 10 lakh.
Following a police investigation, three accused—Dilip Solanki (33), Ishwar Vaghela (30), and Asif Rafai (31), all from Junagadh—were arrested. Authorities recovered Rs 9.58 lakh from the trio.
Amreli LCB police inspector V M Koladara explained that the gang’s method involved first winning the victims’ trust by giving them a genuine gold coin. Once convinced, victims were taken to another location with large sums of money and given coins that appeared to be gold but were counterfeit.
The arrested men confessed to multiple cheating cases: the recent offense in Dhari; a case at Junagadh bus station a year ago involving Rs 50,000; and another from seven months ago where a person from Upleta was cheated of Rs 1 lakh.
Charges have been filed against Solanki for assault and against Vaghela and Rafai for fraud. Meanwhile, a manhunt is underway for four other suspects: Rajesh alias Raju Solanki, Mohan Vaghela, Govind Rathod, and Jabir Banwa.
