COIMBATORE: The Coimbatore Rural Police arrested a couple from Kerala for cheating a man of Rs 25 lakh after promising him investment in iridium trade. The arrested persons are K Shyam, alias Joy Mohan, (44) and his wife Sajitha (38). The complaint was filed by Srinivasan of Ennore in Chennai.
Police say one Ando Wilson from Kanyakumari introduced Srinivasan to Shyam. The couple convinced Srinivasan that he would get high returns if he purchased iridium from them and resold it to buyers abroad.
They showed a metal claiming that it was iridium and asked Srinivasan to pay Rs 10 lakh to a person known as YG Sekar for a scientific test. Later Shyam brought four more persons to Srinivasan claiming that they were working abroad and would act as middlemen for selling the precious metal to foreigners for crores.
Srinivasan had to pay Rs 15 lakh to the so-called middlemen to facilitate the trade. However, they cut off the connection with him after getting the money. Upon realising that he was cheated, Srinivasan filed a complaint with the Coimbatore Rural Police.
After an investigation, the district crime branch police arrested the couple on Wednesday. The police recovered Rs 4.99 lakh in cash and 77 grams of gold from them. Police said that efforts to nab others are on.