‘Found gold while digging, will sell at ₹12 lakh/kg’:Jabalpur doctors duped of ₹1.55 crore; Haryana gang caught in Jhansi

In Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, the Crime Branch has uncovered a major fraud gang. The accused targeted doctors by luring them with the promise of buried gold. The gang allegedly cheated victims of around ₹1.55 crore. Police have arrested four members of the same family from Jhansi. According to the Crime Branch, the arrested accused are residents of Faridabad, Haryana. They include Pannalal Rathore (60), Dharmendra (34), Virendra (30), and Ramadevi (52). Their location was traced to Jhansi, following which the police team raided and apprehended them. Contact under pretext of treatment, then the ‘buried treasure’ story Investigation revealed that the accused first contacted doctors under the pretext of medical treatment. They then posed as laborers, claiming they had found buried gold while digging. They said they could not sell the gold themselves and offered it at a low price. First built trust by giving real coins Initially, the accused gave 4–5 real gold coins to doctors to gain their trust. When the victims verified these coins, they were genuine. This built confidence, after which the accused offered gold at ₹12 lakh per kilogram. Lured by the promise of profit, the victims agreed to the deals. Accused would flee after giving fake gold Once the deal was finalized, the gang gave fake gold coins or biscuits in exchange for cash and fled. Upon verification, the gold was found to be fake. Cases have been registered under sections 318(4) and 3(5) of the Indian Penal Code in three separate incidents. Case opened from three different complaints April 1, 2026: A victim reported being defrauded of approximately 10 lakh rupees by being given 7 kg of fake gold. April 3, 2026: In the second complaint, 50 lakh rupees were taken in the name of 5 kg of gold. April 4, 2026: In the third case, 1 crore rupees were defrauded by giving 12 kg of fake gold.
How police caught the gang After complaints reached SP Sampat Upadhyay, a team led by Additional Superintendent of Police Jitendra Singh was formed. Using technical evidence, the accused’s location was traced to Jhansi, where they were arrested. The Entire Family Together Orchestrated a Fraud Scheme Police investigation revealed that the entire gang belonged to the same family, executing fraud in a coordinated manner. Each member played different roles, gaining victims’ trust and extorting large sums of money. 1.55 Crore Cash, Gold and Fake Coins Recovered During questioning, the accused disclosed that they had hidden money in a rented house in the Panagar area. Police recovered ₹1.55 crore in cash, 84 grams of real gold, around 20 kg of fake gold coins, and 11 mobile phones during the search. Further Action Continues Police are interrogating the accused to identify other potential victims. The gang’s network and the complete modus operandi of the fraud are still under investigation.