The Maharashtra police have apprehended two men and a woman in Pune, accusing them of deceiving a pharmacy shop owner by claiming to possess British-era gold coins.

According to officials, the suspects demanded Rs 30 lakh from the shop owner in exchange for a bag purportedly containing British gold era coins, supposedly unearthed during construction work in Goa.

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The identities of the suspects remain unknown. To initially gain the shop owner’s trust, they presented him with one coin marked with a Victorian mint. Subsequently, they handed over 16 kilograms of brass coins with a gold polish. These deceptive events unfolded in February.

A First Information Report (FIR) was filed in the case based on the complaint of a 55-year-old medical shop owner in the Khadki area, under the jurisdiction of the Khadki police station.

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It is suspected that this scam began in the second week of February when one of the individuals started visiting the shop to befriend the owner and gain his confidence.

An officer from the Khadki police station explained, “The person told the complainant that he and his friends had discovered a trove of buried gold during excavation work for an ongoing road construction project in Goa. The suspects claimed that the treasure consisted of 28 kilograms of gold coins from the British era and offered to sell it to him for Rs 50 lakh.”

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The medical shop owner informed the police that the deal was finalized for 16 kilograms of gold coins in exchange for Rs 30 lakh and requested a sample to verify the authenticity.

During one of their meetings, one of the suspects, carrying the bag of purported ‘antique’ coins, presented a coin to the complainant. To everyone’s surprise, this coin turned out to be genuine when the complainant had it verified by a jeweler. On February 26, along Chakan Mhalunge Road, the suspects executed the exchange, taking Rs 30 lakh in cash from the shop owner in return for the bag of gold coins. However, it was only later that he realised that all the coins were counterfeit, composed of brass or similar metals, merely coated with a gold-colored polish.

By that time, the fraudsters had fled and could not be contacted.

Officials reported that multiple unsuccessful attempts were made by the complaint to reach the fraudsters over the past few months, prompting him to seek police assistance to file a formal complaint.

Sub-Inspector Anil Rikibe, leading the investigation, mentioned that his team is actively pursuing various leads provided by the complainant. He emphasized the importance of the public being vigilant, urging them not to fall for such scams and to immediately report them to the police if encountered. Currently, the police are investigating how the brass coins acquired Victorian mint marks.