On Wednesday, a goldsmith from Bijbehara, Anantnag, was arrested for fraud after counterfeit gold ornaments were discovered in his possession. The arrest followed a complaint lodged by Nisar Ahmad Bhat, a resident of Bindoo Kokernag, who had purchased gold jewellery from Mehraj Din Qazi, the proprietor of M/S Soliya Ornaments in Bijbehara. Bhat later realized the ornaments were fake and reported the matter to the Nowhatta Police Station in Srinagar.
Upon investigation, police arrested Mehraj Din Qazi and seized the counterfeit jewellery. During questioning, Qazi admitted to deceiving customers by marking fake hallmarks on jewellery designed to resemble real gold. Further investigation revealed that he had been making home deliveries of these counterfeit items across various locations in Srinagar, including Nowhatta.
Laboratory tests confirmed that the seized jewellery was indeed counterfeit. Authorities are continuing their investigation to uncover any other potential links in this fraudulent network.
