Padubidri: Two held in fake gold scam; jewellery, cash seized

Padubidri: Two held in fake gold scam; jewellery, cash seized

Mangalore Today News Network

Udupi, Mar 24, 2026: Police have arrested two accused in connection with a case of cheating a woman by giving fake gold within the limits of Padubidri Police Station.

The accused have been identified as Kavya (32), a resident of Buduganahalli in Ballapura, Bellavi hobli of Tumakuru district, and Venkatesh (42) from Santhebennur taluk of Davanagere district. The police have recovered 7.610 grams of gold jewellery and Rs 6,000 in cash from them.

According to the complaint, on January 13, while Bassamma was walking near the old post office in Padubidri, an unidentified man and woman approached her and showed a chain that appeared to be gold with a Lakshmi pendant. They claimed the chain weighed 6 pavan and convinced her that they were in urgent need of money, offering it to her.

Believing them, Bassamma handed over her gold ornaments weighing about 2 pavan, worth around Rs 1.5 lakh, along with Rs 6,000 in cash. Later, when she took the chain to a nearby jewellery shop for verification, she found that it was fake. When she returned, the accused had fled the spot. A case was subsequently registered at Padubidri Police Station.

The operation was carried out under the direction of Udupi SP Hariram Shankar, with guidance from Additional SP Sudhakar S. Nayak, Karkala DYSP Vijay Prasad, and Kaup Circle Inspector Azmath Ali. The team included Padubidri PSI Shaktiveelu and Anil Kumar Nayak, ASIs Rajesh P. and Girish U.R., along with staff members Krishnaprasad, Sandesh Bhandari, Rukmini, and Shirva woman constable Jyothi.