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Mangaluru: A case has been registered in the Puttur Town Police Station against a man accused of pledging fake gold ornaments worth Rs 9.25 lakh at a local cooperative society.
According to the police, the complainant, Pavithra N, manager of the Odiyoor Sri Vividhoddesha Souharda Sahakari Sangha, Puttur branch, said that on October 4, the accused, Abdul Rameez, visited the branch to pledge gold ornaments. He brought a 17.1-gram bracelet and two chains weighing 34.39 grams, totalling 51 grams, which were tested by the branch’s gold appraiser Subhash Rai and found to be genuine. Based on this verification, a loan of Rs 4.5 lakh was sanctioned — Rs 1.99 lakh in cash and Rs 2.51 lakh transferred to his account in the Bank of Maharashtra, Puttur branch.
Later, on October 8, Rameez returned with more ornaments — a 52.87-gram anklet with stones and a 15.3-gram chain, together weighing 53.17 grams after testing. These, too, were verified by the appraiser and deemed genuine. Based on this, another loan of Rs 4.75 lakh was sanctioned — Rs 1.99 lakh in cash and Rs 2.67 lakh credited to his bank account.
In total, the accused pledged 104.17 grams of gold ornaments and availed himself of loans amounting to Rs 9.25 lakh from the cooperative society.
However, on October 13, the complainant read a newspaper report that Abdul Rameez and others had pledged fake gold at another cooperative society. Growing suspicious, the manager sought permission from the society’s chief executive officer to have the pledged gold tested at the Mangaluru Testing Centre. The examination revealed that the ornaments were fake.
Based on the complaint, the Puttur Town Police have registered a case under Sections 318(4) and 316(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.