Alert woman helps police bust fraud gang in Palamu
PNS
Daltonganj
The alertness and presence of mind of a village woman helped police uncover a petty organised crime network involved in cheating unsuspecting residents under the pretext of cleaning and polishing jewellery in Jharkhand’s Palamu district.
The incident took place on June 2 in Hulsi Khurd village under the Naudeeha Bazar police station limits. The victim, Anita Devi, wife of Santosh Oraon, narrowly escaped losing her gold mangal sutra after sensing that she was being deceived by two men posing as jewellery cleaners.
According to police, the suspects first gained Anita’s confidence by successfully cleaning a silver ring at her residence. Satisfied with the service, she handed over her gold mangal sutra for polishing. The two men, later identified as Prince (20) and Rahul (21), allegedly swapped the ornament and handed her a small wrapped packet, instructing her to open it later before quickly leaving the spot.
Realising something was amiss, Anita immediately contacted the Naudeeha Bazar police. Acting swiftly, police launched an operation and apprehended the two accused, recovering the stolen mangal sutra.
“The alert housewife’s exemplary presence of mind not only saved her from being duped but also paved the way for police to crack a petty organised crime network,” said SDPO Chhaterpur Prashant Kumar.
During interrogation, Prince and Rahul revealed the involvement of four more associates engaged in similar fraudulent activities. Based on their disclosures, police arrested Prabhu (28), Rohan (22), Akshay (22) and Rohit (21). All six accused are residents of Bihar’s Supaul and Araria districts.
Police seized white powder used in the scam, iron cutters, two motorcycles, a weighing machine and the recovered mangal sutra from the accused.
The six have been booked under Sections 112 (petty organised crime), 316 (criminal breach of trust) and 318 (cheating) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). They were produced before a court and remanded to judicial custody on June 3.
Police said the case serves as a reminder for people, particularly women in rural areas, to remain cautious of strangers offering jewellery-cleaning services, as such fraudsters often exploit trust to steal valuable ornaments.
