VILLUPURAM: A man, hailing from Bihar, was arrested allegedly for cheating people of gold under the pretext of polishing their jewellery, on Wednesday. Police said, the accused has been defrauding people for the last six months, but this was the first complaint lodged.
According to the Vanur police, the fraud came to light after S Dhanalakshmi (36), of Edapalayam village near Vanur, entrusted her gold bangles with the accused, who claimed to offer jewellery polishing services at a lower rate, on Tuesday. The accused, identified as Binod Ram (40) of Triveniganj in the Supaul district of Bihar, immersed the bangles in a solution and retrieved it after a brief interval.
"Unexpectedly, one of the bangles broke, which prompted Binod Ram to escape. Dhanalakshmi cried for help and the neighbours caught Binod Ram. He was handed over to us," said police.
On inquiring, the police revealed that Binod Ram had been residing in Vanur for the past six months under the guise of someone who polishes jewellery, and has been dissolving parts of gold using the chemical solution. This mixture, the police explained, caused slight amount of the gold to dissolute, which could later be solidified.
"Despite engaging in this activity for six months, in Vanur and neighbouring villages, no formal grievances were lodged, possibly due to victims being cognizant of this scheme. Our investigation is on," said police. Meanwhile, Binod Ram was remanded in judicial custody after court proceedings, on Wednesday. The police have also cautioned the public regarding such fraudulent activities and asked people not to rely on unfamiliar individuals offering jewellery polishing services.