A wave of shock and fear has swept through Nagpur after three audacious incidents in which conmen posing as police officers duped unsuspecting citizens and fled with gold jewellery worth nearly ₹12 lakh — all in a single day. The fraudsters employed a clever ruse, pretending to alert victims about “recent crimes” and persuading them to remove their ornaments for “safety reasons.”
The first incident occurred around 11:30 a.m. on Sunday when 65-year-old Usha Nandkishore Zade, a resident of Khankhoje Nagar, was on her way to the market. At Siddheshwari Chowk, a youth wearing a helmet stopped her, claiming that a police officer wanted to speak with her. Moments later, another helmeted man approached, introduced himself as a policeman, and warned her about a nearby stabbing incident.
Fearing for her safety, Usha followed the man’s instructions and removed her gold bangles weighing about 50 grams, valued at around ₹4 lakh, placing them in her bag. The imposter then offered to “help” her tie the bag securely but skillfully removed the jewellery without her noticing. Moments later, he fled the spot with two accomplices on a motorcycle. Usha later filed a complaint at the Hudkeshwar Police Station.
In another case, 67-year-old Jugalkishore Shahu, a steel shop owner, was approached near bridge number 10 in Jaripatka by two men on a motorcycle who posed as police officers. They asked to see his Aadhaar card and then cautioned him to remove his gold chain, worth about ₹5 lakh, and “keep it safe.”
Feigning concern, the conmen offered to wrap the chain in a piece of paper for protection but slyly switched it with a packet filled with stones before returning it. They fled the spot soon after. Shahu discovered the fraud moments later and filed a complaint at the Jaripatka Police Station.
A third similar incident took place near Amarkar Jewellers on Itwari Road around 10:45 a.m., when 55-year-old Mamta Dhadial was accosted by four men posing as police officers. Claiming she was carrying her jewellery unsafely, they tricked her into handing over ornaments worth approximately ₹3.70 lakh from her purse. Police have obtained CCTV footage from the area to help identify the culprits.
Adding to the growing concern, another incident was reported in Dhantoli, where a farmer from Madhya Pradesh, Om Prakash Jaiswal, was swindled out of jewellery worth ₹66,000 during a wedding by a separate gang using similar methods.
City police have launched an extensive manhunt and urged citizens to remain alert. “No police officer will ever ask anyone to remove their ornaments in public. Citizens should immediately inform the nearest police station if approached by such imposters,” said a police official.
Investigations are ongoing, and multiple teams have been formed to trace the suspects using CCTV footage and eyewitness accounts.
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