Jeweller held for duping customers of Rs 2.5 cr by selling fake gold to them for bank loan
Beed (PTI): Police have arrested a jeweller hailing from Beed city in Maharashtra for allegedly defrauding at least 16 customers to the tune of Rs 2.5 crore by supplying fake gold to them on the basis of which they sought loan from a bank, officials said on Friday.
Accused Vilas Udawant, a resident of Pandit Nagar area in Beed, was picked up from his newly-opened jewellery shop in Dehugaon area located near Pune city on Thursday, they said, adding that 18 kilograms of silver was seized from there.
Udawant, who earlier operated a shop in Beed, had devised a scheme to quickly get rich, an official said.
"He made fake gold ornaments for customers seeking bank loans and forwarded their loan applications to a a local branch of a prominent public sector bank. At least 16 fake gold loans were allegedly passed using this modus operandi," he said.
Police estimate that he collected around Rs 2.5 crore in two months through this method before selling his properties in Beed and fleeing the city.
"The breakthrough came when an informer alerted the police about Udawant's presence in Pune. Acting on a tip-off, a team from Beed police conducted a search at his new shop and arrested him. The team recovered 18 kg of silver from the premises," he said.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
South African police arrest suspect in mass shooting that killed 12, including 3 children
Johannesburg (AP): A 32-year-old suspect has been arrested in connection with a mass shooting which claimed the lives of 12 people including three children at an unlicensed pub earlier this month, South African police said on Monday.
The man is suspected of being one of the three people who opened fire on patrons in a pub at Saulsville township, west of South Africa's capital Pretoria, killing 12 people including three children aged 3, 12 and 16.
At least 13 people were also injured during the attack, whose motive remains unknown.
According to the police, the suspect was arrested on Sunday while traveling to Botlokwa in Limpopo province, more than 340 km from where the mass shooting took place on Dec 6.
An unlicensed firearm believed to have been used during the attack was recovered from the suspect's vehicle.
“The 32-year-old suspect was intercepted by Limpopo Tracking Team on the R101 Road in Westenburg precinct. During the arrest, the team recovered an unlicensed firearm, a hand gun, believed to have been used in the commission of the multiple murders. The firearm will be taken to the Forensic Science Laboratory for ballistic analysis,” police said in statement.
The suspect was arrested on the same day that another mass shooting at a pub took place in the Bekkersdal township, west of Johannesburg, in which nine people were killed and 10 wounded when unknown gunmen opened fire on patrons.
Police have since launched a search for the suspects.
South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the world and recorded more than 26,000 homicides in 2024 — an average of more than 70 a day. Firearms are by far the leading cause of death in homicides.
The country of 62 million people has relatively strict gun ownership laws, but many killings are committed with illegal guns, according to authorities.
According to police, mass shootings at unlicensed bars are becoming a serious problem. Police shut down more than 11,000 illegal taverns between April and September this year and arrested more than 18,000 people for involvement in illegal liquor sales.
