Three police head constables arrested for cheating drug dealer in fake gold scam

Three head constables, two from Bengaluru and one from Davanagere, were arrested for cheating a drug dealer of ₹12 lakh in a fake gold scam. They lured him with promises of cheap gold and later extorted more money.

Bengaluru: Three head constables, two from RT Nagar Police Station and one from Davanagere, have been arrested by the Central Crime Branch (CCB) for allegedly cheating a drug dealer out of ₹12 lakh under the pretext of selling him gold supposedly unearthed from farmland.

The arrested officers are Yuvaraj and Mehboob from RT Nagar Police Station and Maruti from Davanagere. They were accused of deceiving a drug dealer named Tabrez a few days ago. An FIR was registered based on Tabrez’s complaint, leading to the arrests.

Tabrez, who runs a drugstore in Vijayapura town, Devanahalli taluk, lives there with his family. A few days ago, he was approached by unknown individuals who claimed to have found 4 kg of gold coins while ploughing their field. They offered to sell him the gold at a discounted price and defrauded him of ₹12 lakh. The head constables are alleged to have later deceived him again by pretending to help recover his money.

How was the gold coin scam set in motion?

Two months ago, Tabrez received a call from a stranger who claimed to have recovered from a cold using medicine from Tabrez’s store. The caller then told him about an old man in his village who had discovered 4 kg of gold coins while ploughing. He offered to connect Tabrez with this man, who was allegedly willing to sell the coins at a low price.

Tabrez was invited to Davanagere bus stand on March 13, where he met the supposed old man and his grandson. They showed him what appeared to be genuine gold coins, claiming the coins were worth ₹80 lakh. Tabrez agreed to purchase 1,000 coins for ₹10 lakh. When he had them tested by a goldsmith in Devanahalli, they turned out to be real.

Encouraged by the outcome, Tabrez returned to Davanagere and bought another 2 kg of gold coins for ₹12 lakh. However, this time, the coins were fake.

The Police Trap

Following this second fraud, Tabrez received a call from a head constable at RT Nagar Police Station who claimed to be aware of the scam. He asked Tabrez to visit the station and assured him that the culprits had been arrested and ₹12 lakh recovered. The officers then demanded ₹75,000 as their commission and ₹1 lakh for an "informant".

Tabrez agreed and went to the station the next day. The officers took ₹75,000 from him and showed him ₹8 lakh kept in a car, promising to return the money later. However, after they drove away, the money vanished. Realising he had been cheated once again, Tabrez filed a police complaint, which led to an investigation and the arrest of the three police officers.