3 booked for duping Japan-based NRI, decamping with Rs 50 lakh

Police have booked three unidentified men for allegedly cheating a Japan-based NRI and decamping with his bag containing Rs 50 lakh cash at Ghoti village near Nashik, police said today.

The incident took place on June 11 and based on the complaint lodged by the 65-year-old victim, Indrakumar Mangatram Bakshy, on Sunday, a case was registered in this connection.

According to police, one of the accused had tricked the victim, a hotelier living in Japan for the last 30 years, into believing that he was a labourer and that he had stumbled upon several gold coins during the digging work and wanted to sell them.

"Bakshy is a devotee of Saibaba. He visited the Saibaba temple in Shirdi with his family on May 4. There, one of the accused met him and showed him a coin to verify whether it was made of gold or not," Shirdi Deputy Superintendent of Police, Sagar Patil said.

"The accused introduced himself as a labourer and told the victim that he stumbled upon three pots full of such coins during a digging work at house," the officer said.

Bakshy told him that the coin was made of pure gold. The accused then took his mobile number and left, police said.

"Later, the accused contacted Bakshy saying he wanted to sell the coins to him. The victim called him at a hotel, where the accused showed him the coins. Bakshy was told that the coins collectively weighed five kgs and demanded Rs 50 lakh in exchange," Patil said.

"The victim decided to purchase the coins and went to Delhi to bring cash. He returned to Shirdi on June 11. The accused then asked him to come to Ghoti to collect the coins.

"He went to the place as directed. After reaching there, he started counting the coins. It was then the accused and his two other accomplices took away his bag containing Rs 50 lakh and fled from the spot," Patil said.

A search has been launched to nab the accused trio and offences have been registered under IPC sections 392 (robbery), 420 (cheating) and 34 (common intention).