Team Herald
MARGAO: A woman from Fatorda, Margao, was conned into parting with four gold bangles valued at approximately Rs 2.5 lakh by two unidentified swindlers posing as concerned police officers.
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According to a complaint filed by the victim, the suspects approached her near the Saket Nirvana building in Fatorda. Under the guise of helping her secure her jewellery, they tricked her into handing over the bangles, then swapped them with fake ones.
Fatorda police reported that the victim, Jaishila Kamat, lodged the complaint around 5 pm on Thursday. She stated that two unknown individuals had stopped her, introduced themselves as police officers, and warned her of a recent robbery where a woman was murdered and her jewellery had been stolen.
Police said the suspects convinced her to remove the four gold bangles, estimated to be worth Rs 2.5 lakh. They wrapped the bangles in a piece of white paper, which they then handed back to her. When she later opened the paper, she discovered that her gold bangles had been replaced with fake ones.
An offence has been registered under Sections 303(2) and 319, read with section 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
This is only the latest in a spate of thefts in South Goa, that has seen multiple elderly victims, particularly women, targeted by fraudsters posing as police officers. In August, 72-year-old Santosh Virdikar, a cashier, fell prey to two individuals who, claiming to be police, stopped him in Fatorda. They feigned concern over local chain-snatchers and convinced Virdikar to hand over his gold jewellery and Rs 68,000 in cash. Once home, he discovered his valuables had been replaced with metal.
On the same day, conmen deceived two women in Aquem, posing as Crime Branch officers to trick them into handing over gold chains worth Rs 1.6 lakh. Additionally, two unidentified men in Davorlim snatched a 63-year-old woman’s mangalsutra valued at Rs 1.9 lakh, and another woman in Aquem lost Rs 1 lakh in gold to a motorcycle thief. Police have registered cases but are yet to make any arrests.
