Mumbai police have arrested five members of a Rajasthan-based gang for defrauding a city resident of Rs 25 lakh using counterfeit gold ornaments. The gang claimed to have discovered the gold during excavation near a temple in Nashik.
The prime accused, Babulal Bhalaram Waghela (55), befriended the victim, Dinesh Mehta (51), a Malad resident, by speaking in Rajasthani. Waghela convinced Mehta that the gang had found 900 grams of gold ornaments and offered either to sell them or enlist his help in selling them. He provided gold beads as samples, which appeared genuine, prompting Mehta to pay Rs 25 lakh in cash.
Subsequent testing by a jeweller revealed the ornaments were fake. Acting on Mehta’s complaint, police reviewed footage from over 100 CCTV cameras and arrested the suspects from Gujarat and Virar in Palghar district.
The arrested gang members are:
Babulal Bhalaram Waghela (55)
Kokubai Babulal Waghela (50)
Mangalaram Manaram Waghari (34)
Kesaram Bhagataram Waghari
Bhavarlal Babulal Waghari
Police recovered Rs 15.45 lakh in cash from Babulal Waghela’s residence. Investigations revealed that Waghela is a repeat offender with multiple previous cases. Authorities are still searching for one more suspect linked to the fraud.
