Thane, February 10 Police have arrested three members of a gang and a Mumbai-based jeweler, allegedly involved in defrauding senior citizens of jewelry worth lakhs in Thane district of Maharashtra, an official said on Tuesday.
With these arrests, the Thane city police have solved 12 cases of cheating and theft registered in different police stations in the district and neighboring Mumbai, the official said.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Amarsingh Jadhav said the gang targeted senior citizens by engaging them in conversation and winning their trust.
The accused allegedly posed as police officers or helpful passersby, warning victims of thefts in the area and convincing them to remove their gold jewelry and wrap it in a piece of paper for safety, he said.
"Using sleight of hand, they would then swap the genuine gold with worthless imitation jewelry or stones, leaving the victims unaware of the theft until much later," the official said.
Acting on a tip-off, the team recently intercepted the accused, Raju Chavan, Ramesh Jaiswal, and Sanjay Mangade, while they were attempting another robbery, he said.
"Our crime branch teams tracked the digital and physical footprints of this gang. With these arrests, we have solved 12 serious cases registered across various police stations, including Badlapur, Ulhasnagar, Mumbra, Kapurbawdi, and Naupada. We are now investigating if they have links to similar crimes in other districts," the official said.
The police have seized 130 gm of gold ornaments worth Rs 17 lakh from the accused, the official said.
The police have also arrested Ramsingh Chouhan, a jeweler from Mumbai, allegedly involved in the crime, senior inspector Yogesh Awhad of Ulhasnagar police said.
