Pramesh S Jain
The Malleshwaram Police have arrested two interstate fraudsters for allegedly cheating a city-based jeweller of gold ornaments and gold bullion worth Rs.1.64 crore after posing as prospective buyers.
The arrested accused have been identified as Paresh Sony (49) from Gujarat and Praveen Pappu (44) from Maharashtra.
Police said two of their associates are absconding and efforts are underway to trace and arrest them.
Senior officer told reporters that the case was registered at the Malleswaram police station following a complaint filed by a jeweller from Chickpet on May 16, 2026.
The complainant alleged that the accused had approached him claiming that they were interested in purchasing gold ornaments in bulk.
Trusting them, he carried around 1.514 kg of gold ornaments to an office on Sampige Road in Malleswaram for inspection and photography.
However,the accused allegedly diverted the jeweller attention and fled with the gold ornaments.
Following the complaint,police launched an investigation and, based on credible information,apprehended one of the accused near Anand Rao Circle in Seshadripuram on May 18.
During interrogation, he allegedly confessed to the crime and revealed the involvement of his associates.
Subsequently,police tracked down and arrested another accused in Maharashtra on May 20.
Investigation revealed that a portion of the stolen gold, weighing about 220 grams,had been sold to a jewellery shop in Mumbai’s Zaveri Bazaar.
A police team recovered the gold bullion from the shop and brought the accused to Bengaluru on a transit warrant.
Further investigation led to the recovery of additional stolen gold ornaments from locations in Chickpet, Avalahalli and Guttahalli between May 24 and May 30.
In total,police recovered 1 kg and 8 grams of gold ornaments and gold bullion,valued at Rs 1.64 crore.
Bengaluru City Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh said the accused are habitual offenders with around 14 criminal cases registered against them in various states.
He added that they followed a similar modus operandi of posing as customers interested in purchasing jewellery before cheating jewellers and escaping with gold.
The two accused were produced before a court and remanded to judicial custody.Police said efforts are continuing to apprehend the remaining absconding accused and further investigation are on.
