Pledged gold weight tampering case: Bank gold appraiser held on return from Bangkok

Mysore/Mysuru: Vijayanagar Police have arrested a gold appraiser attached to the Hinkal branch of Canara Bank, who had fled to Bangkok after allegedly committing fraud involving the weight of gold ornaments pledged by customers. He was taken into custody at Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru on Monday upon his arrival from Bangkok.

The accused, 39-year-old M. Ashwin Kumar, a resident of Gokulam 3rd Stage, was produced before a Court by Vijayanagar Police, which granted two days of Police custody for questioning. He was later remanded to 14 days of Judicial Custody.

The case came to light after discrepancies were noticed in the weight of gold ornaments pledged for loans at the bank, prompting anxious customers to gather at the branch on Dec. 17 and question the staff. Following the incident, the Police registered an FIR against the appraiser.

19 grams becomes 16, 85 beads reduce to 77

Several customers alleged that the appraiser had tampered with their jewellery and reduced its weight. The issue surfaced when customers redeemed their pledged gold and later checked the ornaments at home. In one instance, a gold chain that weighed 19 grams at the time of pledging was found to weigh only 16 grams after release.

Further inspection revealed alterations to the jewellery’s physical structure. Although the overall weight marking appeared unchanged, the number of gold beads in the chain had reduced from 85 to 77.

The chain was also reportedly damaged, with links cut and rewelded, rendering it unfit for use. Ashwin Kumar had been serving as the branch’s gold appraiser since 2014. In recent weeks, multiple customers raised doubts about the weight of their pledged ornaments and, on Dec. 19, formally complained to bank authorities that the gold weighed less than recorded.