Padubidri police have arrested Kavya (32) from Buduganahalli, Tumakuru district, and Venkatesh (42) from Santhebennur, Davanagere district, for allegedly cheating a woman by giving her fake gold.
Authorities recovered 7.610 grams of gold jewellery and Rs 6,000 cash from the accused. The case was registered after Bassamma, the victim, reported that on January 13, she was approached near the old post office in Padubidri by the duo.
The accused showed Bassamma a chain with a Lakshmi pendant, claiming it was genuine gold weighing 6 pavan, and convinced her to exchange her gold ornaments worth around Rs 1.5 lakh along with Rs 6,000 cash. Later, verification at a jewellery shop revealed the chain to be fake, prompting police action.
The operation was conducted under the direction of Udupi SP Hariram Shankar, with guidance from Additional SP Sudhakar S. Nayak, Karkala DYSP Vijay Prasad, and Kaup Circle Inspector Azmath Ali. The team included Padubidri PSI Shaktiveelu, ASIs Rajesh P. and Girish U.R., and staff members Krishnaprasad, Sandesh Bhandari, Rukmini, and Jyothi, a woman constable from Shirva.
Police confirmed that further investigation is ongoing to determine if the accused were involved in similar cases in the region.
