Currency notes with Anupam Kher picture used to con bullion trader of 2.1 kg gold
Ahmedabad (PTI): In a plot twist that could be the envy of even Bollywood, a bullion trader was duped of 2.1 kgs of gold after unidentified con men handed over counterfeit currency featuring the face of noted actor Anupam Kher.
The transaction at the end left a local bullion trader, Mehul Thakkar, high and dry and duped of 2.1 kgs of gold.
Thakkar filed a complaint with the Navrangpura police station, detailing how he was tricked into accepting 26 bundles of counterfeit Rs 500 notes.
The fake currency, which hilariously bore the misspelled label "Resole Bank of India," was presented to his staff in exchange for 2.1 kgs of gold on September 24.
The saga began when Thakkar, a gold dealer with a penchant for shiny things, received a call from Prashant Patel, the manager of a jewellery shop whom the bullion trader knew.
Patel was eager to buy 2.1 kgs of gold, and after some haggling, they settled on a price of Rs 1.60 crore. Little did Thakkar know, he was about to become the star of a real-life comedy.
On September 24, Thakkar instructed his staff to meet Patel at an 'angadia pedhi' (Hawala) office – a traditional money-moving service.
When they arrived, they were greeted not by the glamorous world of gold trade but by three "gentlemen" who handed over bundles of what they claimed were Rs 500 notes.
The unsuspecting staff was told to count the 'money' using a machine provided by the trio.
Two of them then went out with the gold biscuits on the pretext of fetching the remaining Rs 30 lakh from a neighbouring office, while a third one stayed on.
When the staff sent by Thakkar noticed the currency notes were fake after taking them out from plastic wrap for counting, they questioned the third person, who told them he was there just to deliver the counting machine for 'angadia pedhi', the complainant told the police.
It also later came to light that the angadia office was opened by the accused persons two days before the incident, as per the complaint.
An FIR has since been filed against the two unidentified suspects, and police have launched an investigation to track down the culprits behind this unusual con.
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Two girls injured in separate wolf attacks in UP's Bahraich
Bahraich (UP) (PTI): Two minor girls were injured in separate incidents of wolf attacks in the Bahraich district, forest department officials said on Saturday.
In the first incident on Friday, Anushka Nishad (5), daughter of Baliram from Mallahanpurwa village, was sleeping alone inside her house when a wolf entered and tried to carry her away, they said.
Hearing her screams, family members and villagers rushed to the spot. The wolf left the child, hearing the commotion, and ran towards the fields. The girl sustained minor injuries from the animal's teeth, the officials said.
Divisional Forest Officer Ram Singh Yadav described the attack as deliberate and cleverly planned, as it occurred precisely when Anushka's mother went out for a few moments.
On the same day, Nancy (4), daughter of Kamlesh Yadav, was playing outside her house in Baburi Tola village when a wolf suddenly attacked and dragged her away.
Villagers raised an alarm, and the wolf released the child and ran towards the sugarcane fields. The injured child was sent to the Kaiserganj Community Health Centre for treatment.
Divisional Forest Officer Ram Singh Yadav told reporters that both attacks involved wolves, adding that the entire area is plagued by the animal's activity.
Since September 9, such attacks in the Bahraich district have claimed 10 lives, including eight children and an elderly couple, and injured dozens of people, the officials said.
District Magistrate Akshay Tripathi met the families of the victims on Friday and consoled them.
