Rajasthan man held for cheating Bengaluru jeweller

Bengaluru: The Halasuru Gate police have arrested a Rajasthan native for allegedly cheating a Bengaluru jeweller and escaping with 1.277 kg of gold ornaments.

Police reports indicate that the 32-year-old suspect, Ankur Kumar, had been residing in Bengaluru for a few years and regularly collected gold ornaments from a jeweller in Nagarthpet, the complainant, for repolishing before returning them. 

The complainant stated that he had entrusted Kumar with 1.277 kg of gold ornaments between May 30 and June 30 for polishing. However, Kumar failed to return the valuables, prompting the complainant to file a report with the Halasuru Gate police on August 19. 

Following an investigation, the police tracked Kumar to his hometown in Bhilwara district, Rajasthan, and arrested him on September 3. Kumar confessed to the crime, revealing that he had melted the jewellery into bullion and sold it to various shops in Bengaluru before fleeing. 

On September 5, Kumar was presented in a Bengaluru court and remanded to police custody for 14 days. During the custody period, investigators traced the bullion sales and recovered 384 grams of gold and Rs 10.99 lakh in cash, amounting to a total value of Rs 38 lakh. 

An investigator noted that part of the missing gold was spent on Kumar’s girlfriend. After completing further investigations, Kumar was produced before a court on September 18 and subsequently remanded to judicial custody.