Conman dupes doctors with buried treasure scam in Jabalpur:₹1.55 cr cash, 84gm gold recovered from accused’s family

Jabalpur police arrested an interstate conman named Pannalal Rathore, who has been part of the notorious Mewati gang of Haryana. This 60-year-old cunning man has not only defrauded people in Madhya Pradesh, but has also committed fraud worth crores by showing fake gold in several states of West Bengal, Haryana and South India. According to police, the accused specifically targeted doctors. He would send his wife to clinics posing as a patient and, after gaining trust during treatment, would sell fake gold coins, claiming them to be pure gold. One doctor even mortgaged his house and took a loan of ₹60 lakh from the bank to buy the gold. Came to MP 7 months ago, committed crimes in several cities The accused Pannalal came to Madhya Pradesh with his family about 7 months ago. Here, he targeted doctors in Chhindwara, Sagar, Chhatarpur and Jabalpur. He would send his wife to the doctors as a patient. Then he would tell the story of buried treasure. One or two guineas given for examination would be real, which would make the victim completely trust him. After that, he would take a large amount of money and hand over fake gold. He was preparing to go to Uttar Pradesh, but before that, the Crime Branch caught him. Police have also arrested his wife and two sons. Cash worth ₹1 crore 55 lakh, 84 grams of gold and 11 mobile phones have been recovered from the accused. Settled in Faridabad after going from Rajasthan, earlier used to sell old clothes Pannalal is originally from Rajasthan. He settled in Faridabad, Haryana, 30 years ago. Initially, he used to buy old clothes and sell them in villages and cities. When he didn’t earn well, 10 years ago, he joined the notorious Mewati gang of Haryana. This gang is notorious for interstate vehicle theft, highway robbery, dacoity and online fraud. Used to tell stories of buried treasure during treatment After working with the Mewati gang for a few years, Pannalal formed his own separate gang, because a large share of the earnings was being distributed within the gang. He also included his wife Ranma Devi (52) and sons Dharmendra (34) and Virendra (30) in this. He has 6 sons. Out of these, three were active with him in the fraud. One doctor even took a home loan of ₹60 lakh A doctor residing in Yadav Colony, Jabalpur, purchased gold by paying ₹10 lakh on April 1st, another paid ₹50 lakh on April 3rd, and a third paid approximately ₹1 crore. One doctor even took a home loan of ₹60 lakh from the bank for this purpose. After purchasing the gold, the doctors kept the coins at home. When they got them tested about a week later, it was discovered that they were fake. Upon hearing this, the doctors were shocked. After this, they filed a complaint with the police. The gang used to rent houses outside the city to avoid identification. They would target dentists doctors in different cities, commit fraud, and immediately leave the city. Accused caught through CCTV footage and mobile location After the fraud, the doctors kept the coins at home for about 10 days, believing them to be genuine. When the truth came out, a complaint was filed with the police. As the matter was serious, the Crime Branch started the investigation. CCTV footage from the doctor’s clinic and surrounding areas was examined. Also, based on the mobile phone found and information from an informer, the police raided a village in Jhansi, about 400 kilometres away, and arrested four members of the gang. During interrogation, the accused confessed that they had committed similar frauds in several districts of Madhya Pradesh, including Jabalpur and in other states of the country as well.