Bullion Trader Duped of Rs 1.6 Crore with Photo of Anupam Kher on Fake Currency

A bullion trader in Gujarat was defrauded of Rs 1.6 crore, according to the city police on Sunday. The incident came to light when the victim, the owner of a bullion trading firm, discovered that the currency notes given in exchange for gold bore the image of actor Anupam Kher instead of Mahatma Gandhi. 

A case of cheating has been registered against unidentified individuals for allegedly duping the trader by handing over counterfeit currency featuring pictures of Anupam Kher, the police said.

The complaint was lodged by Mehul Thakkar, who owns a bullion firm in Ahmedabad’s Manek Chowk area. According to the police, the perpetrators set up a sophisticated scam, approaching Thakkar with a request to purchase 2,100 grams of gold, to be delivered to a courier firm on CG Road in Navrangpura on September 24.

Thakkar’s employees delivered the gold to the location where two suspects were present. In exchange, the suspects handed over a plastic cover, claiming it contained Rs 1.3 crore in cash. They also provided a counting machine to verify the amount. However, the two suspects fled the scene under the guise of collecting the remaining Rs 30 lakh from a nearby shop. When Thakkar’s employees opened the plastic cover, they found counterfeit notes inside. The police have registered the case at Navrangpura police station.

Inspector A.A. Desai revealed that the courier firm where the gold was delivered was also a fraud, with no official rent agreement in place. “They had rented the shop, installed a fake courier firm sign, and promised the landlord to sign the agreement in a day or two. The currency notes were fake, featuring images of Anupam Kher,” the officer explained. The police have launched an investigation and are searching for the accused, though no arrests have been made yet.