CHENNAI: Three people, including a minor, were arrested on Tuesday for allegedly conning a schoolgirl of 29 sovereigns of gold worth over `13 lakh in Mamallapuram. The minor, who cheated the girl under the pretext of suffering from a medical condition, was remanded in an observation home.
According to the Mamallapuram police, those apprehended were identified as Gopinath (22), Sanjeev (23) and school student Lokesh (name changed). Police said that Lokesh got acquainted with Radha (name changed) since they were from the same locality and studied in Class XI although at different private schools.
A few months ago, after they became friends, Lokesh told Radha that he was suffering from a serious illness and did not have money for treatment. Believing this to be true, Radha started giving him gold jewellery without the knowledge of her parents.
She had given him a total of 29 sovereigns over a period of two to three months, said police. After receiving each instalment, Lokesh would give it to his friends Gopinath and Sanjeev to pawn it. Radha became suspicious last week and informed her parents, who lodged a police complaint and the trio was arrested on Tuesday.
The police was also able to recover the jewellery that was pawned. Both Gopinath and Sanjeev were remanded in judicial custody while Lokesh sent to a government observation home.