Ahmedabad SOG arrests gang member who duped senior citizens with ‘money bundle’ trick

The Special Operations Group (SOG) of Ahmedabad Crime Branch has arrested a 30-year-old man from Kubernagar for allegedly being part of a gang that targeted senior citizens, duped them with a bundle of fake currency, and fled with their gold ornaments.

The accused, identified as Mukesh Sarvanbhai Jhandavada alias Bavaria, a casual labourer from Nehru Nagar Chhapra in Kubernagar, was arrested on Monday evening. Police said two undetected crimes, one in Ahmedabad’s Sabarmati police station and another in Vadodara’s Bapod police station, were solved with his arrest.

According to officials, Mukesh and his associates, identified as Poonambhai, Tulsiben and rickshaw driver Rahul alias Botho, would move around in an auto-rickshaw looking for elderly people wearing jewellery. After approaching them, the gang would display a bundle wrapped in cloth containing a ₹500 note on the top and bottom, with worthless paper stuffed in between, to make it appear like cash.

“They gained the trust of senior citizens by claiming the bundle contained money. In return, the victims were persuaded to part with their gold ornaments. Once the ornaments were handed over, the accused would disappear, leaving the victim with a worthless bundle,” said an officer from the SOG.

Police said Mukesh was wanted in two separate cases, an FIR registered at Sabarmati police station and another at Bapod police station in Vadodara. Mukesh has since been handed over to the Sabarmati police for further investigation, while efforts are on to trace his accomplices.