Kerala man cheated of Rs. 23.50 lakh by ‘RBI dealer’ who offered to sell gold at cheap rate 

Mysore/Mysuru: Gullible people falling prey to inter-State attention diversion gangs, who cheat by offering to sell gold at low prices, is quite common and many such incidents have been reported in Mysuru. One more such incident has been reported in city where a man from Kerala was cheated by a conman posing as an ‘RBI dealer’ who offered to sell the yellow metal at cheap prices. 

The conman, Yusuf Ali, cheated Shahanth Aslam, a native of Kerala of Rs. 23.50 lakh and a case has been registered at V.V. Puram Police Station.

Details: Aslam had come to Mysuru from Kerala on Jan. 3 in a car (KL-14-Z-0971) along with his friend Mohammad and Harris. They had booked a lodge near the Sub-Urban Bus Stand. As Mohammad knew Yusuf, he introduced the latter to Aslam  and they spoke to each other when they met at Siddarthanagar at 8 pm on the same day. 

While speaking to Aslam, Yusuf told him that he could sell gold in cheap prices as he was a dealer from Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Yusuf boasted of top-level connections with the RBI officers and that he got gold at concession rates. Aslam easily fell for the trap and a deal was struck. 

As per the deal, Yusuf asked Aslam to come to V.V. Puram the next day (Jan. 4) and told him that the deal could be finalised near the HDFC Bank on Temple Road. Yusuf asked Aslam to meet him near the Bank along with the cash so that the gold can be handed over. 

Accordingly, Aslam carried Rs. 23.50 lakh and came near the Bank along with Mohammad and Harris in the hope of laying hands on gold that is more than the money paid. 

Yusuf, who had come to the Bank early, met Aslam and gave him some documents and later entered the Bank while Aslam, Mohammad and Harris  were waiting outside.  

After some time, Yusuf came out of the Bank and told Aslam that he had to enter the cash denominations in the pay-in slip of the Bank. Yusuf took Aslam inside the Bank to enter the denominations and deposit the cash in the cash counter. Aslam obliged and both of them went inside the Bank with the cash bag. 

Waiting for an opportune time, Yusuf asked Aslam to give him back the documents that were handed over to him (by Yusuf) before entering the Bank. As the documents were with Mohammad, who was with Harris in the car outside the Bank, an unsuspecting Aslam left the cash bag with Yusuf for him to enter the cash denominations and ventured out of the Bank, making a phone call to Mohammad. 

Yusuf sensed the opportunity and fled from the Bank. Aslam  returned to the Bank with the documents after some time only to find Yusuf and the cash bag missing. Realising that he has been conned, Aslam lodged a complaint at V.V. Puram Police Station.