Fake treasure racket busted

Metro India News | Hyderabad 

The promise of buried treasure turned into a carefully staged con, as the Commissioner’s Task Force, Shamshabad Zone, in coordination with Rajendra Nagar Police, busted a racket that allegedly cheated gullible people by claiming they could locate ‘Gupta Nidhulu’ hidden beneath their homes.

Four persons — Mohd Munawar alias Munna (36), Syed Ali Ashraf (40), Mohd Haji (25) and Mohd Salman (29) — were arrested. Police seized two cars, an auto-rickshaw, two motorcycles, four mobile phones, 25 fake gold-coated coins, six kg of coal, four kg of soil and pooja material from the accused.

According to police, Munawar, a car denting and painting worker, allegedly devised the scheme to make quick money. He reportedly approached unsuspecting victims claiming to possess special knowledge to locate buried treasure. Once he gained their confidence, the gang allegedly dug up the ground and planted a sack containing coal and fake gold coins.

The victims were then allegedly told that the coal would gradually turn into gold and that they needed to wait for the transformation. The gang, however, reportedly vanished after collecting money from them. Police said at least 11 people were allegedly cheated in different areas, with the total amount involved estimated at around Rs. 1 crore. A case was registered at Rajendra Nagar Police Station under Sections 318(4), 351(2), 61(2) read with 3(5) of the BNS.

Police also found a previous cheating case against Munawar at Begum Bazar Police Station. Cyberabad Police urged people not to fall for claims about hidden or underground treasure and to immediately alert the police about suspicious activities. The arrests were made under the supervision of Task Force Inspector K. Ravi, along with SIs K. Mansoor Ali, Narsing Rao and S. Seshu and their teams, in coordination with Rajendra Nagar Police.