Bollywood-Style Heist: Conmen Build Fake Bank Branch for a Day to Rob Jeweler of ₹28.6 Lakh Gold

In a plot straight out of a movie script, a gang of fraudsters managed to lease a commercial property and outfit a completely functional-looking bank branch for just 24 hours—all to swindle a local jeweler out of gold biscuits worth ₹28.6 lakh.
The scammers spared no expense to make the trap look authentic. They fitted out the rented space with bank counters, computers, and official corporate logos, and even ran fake job interviews throughout the morning to create the hustle and bustle of a legitimate financial institution.

The Pitch

The trap was sprung on Wednesday when a well-dressed man walked into Jay Gandhi’s jewelry showroom in Dahod. The visitor claimed his bank was looking to buy 200 grams of gold biscuits to donate for the upcoming Jagannath Rath Yatra. He handed over a business card and promised that his branch manager would follow up.
A few hours later, a man calling himself "Sumeet Kumar" called Gandhi, introducing himself as the manager. When Gandhi quoted ₹28.6 lakh for the gold, Kumar accepted the price without bargaining, insisted on paying in cash, and asked Gandhi to bring the gold down to the new branch the next morning.

The Illusion

On Thursday, Gandhi and his father arrived at the commercial complex with the gold biscuits. Any suspicion evaporated the moment they stepped inside. The office looked exactly like a newly established small finance bank, complete with the company's official color scheme, running printers, and about ten people waiting around the lobby.
Kumar welcomed the jewelers, explaining that they were putting the final touches on the branch before officially launching to the public later that afternoon.

The Back-Door Exit

Kumar took the gold biscuits and walked into the back office to fetch the cash from the locker room. He returned a minute later, handed Gandhi a heavy bag, and claimed it held half the money. He then went back inside the rear room, keeping up a casual conversation by calling out to ask if Gandhi would mind taking the rest of the balance in ₹100 and ₹200 notes.
After a few minutes, the voice from the back stopped. When Kumar didn’t reappear after ten minutes, Gandhi grew suspicious and walked into the locker room himself. The room was empty. The phony manager had escaped through a hidden back exit with the gold biscuits.
When Gandhi unzipped the cash bag left in his hands, he found it packed with bundles of blank scrap paper.

Clueless Job Seekers

A panicked Gandhi ran out to confront the people sitting in the lobby, only to discover another layer of the scam. The people waiting in the office weren't bank employees at all. They were local youth who had responded to a fake job advertisement and had been told to show up that morning for interviews.
The Dahod Local Crime Branch has registered a case of cheating and criminal conspiracy against two unidentified men. Investigators are currently questioning the property owner who leased out the space and are scanning local CCTV footage to track down the gang.