Davangere: A man from Tumakuru district was allegedly duped of Rs5 lakh by a fraudster who promised to sell him antique gold coins at a throwaway price. The incident came to light in Kurki village of Davangere taluk, where the victim, Ranganath of Chimpuganahalli in Koratagere taluk, fell prey to a well-planned scam.
According to the complaint, Ranganath had come into contact with the accused, identified as Suresh from Hubballi, about a year ago during a visit to the Mahalakshmi temple in Goravanahalli. The two exchanged phone numbers and kept in occasional touch.
About a week ago, Suresh allegedly contacted Ranganath and claimed that a stash of antique gold coins had been found while demolishing his ancestral house.
He told Ranganath that he was in urgent need of money and would offer the coins at a highly discounted price, provided Ranganath kept the deal confidential.
To gain trust, Suresh initially handed over one genuine gold coin to Ranganath, which the latter tested and found to be real. Believing the story, Ranganath expressed interest in buying more.
Suresh then quoted a price of Rs20 lakh per kilogram, to which Ranganath said he could afford only Rs5 lakh and requested 250 grams worth of coins.
The two agreed to meet near Kurki village in Davangere on Tuesday. Suresh handed over what he claimed were 250 grams of gold coins and collected Rs5 lakh in cash. However, after testing the coins, Ranganath discovered they were fake.
Realizing he had been duped, Ranganath rushed to the Hadadi Police Station and lodged a complaint.
A case has been registered, and police have launched an investigation to trace and apprehend the accused, who is currently absconding.
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