Mumbai Crime Branch Busts Gang That Swapped Real Gold With Brass Biscuits

In a major breakthrough, the Mumbai Police Crime Branch Unit 3 has arrested three members of a well-organised gang that defrauded jewellers by exchanging genuine gold ornaments with brass biscuits polished to resemble real gold.

Complaint Exposes the Gold-for-Brass Fraud

The case surfaced after Naresh Kewalchand Jain, a city-based jeweller, lodged a complaint alleging that three men identified as Ankit Jain, Narpat, and Prashant gained his trust by offering to exchange standard gold for jewellery.

On October 1, around 1:30 p.m., at Mazgaon Circle near the Blues shop, accused Prashant collected 354.460 grams of gold ornaments worth approximately ₹40.59 lakh from the complainant’s employee. In exchange, he handed over brass biscuits disguised as gold.

CCTV Footage and Technical Surveillance Crack the Case

Treating the case with utmost seriousness, the Crime Branch launched a parallel investigation alongside the local police. CCTV footage revealed that Prashant was accompanied by another suspect, and both later boarded a local train from Mumbai Central to Borivali.

Using call detail records and technical surveillance, police identified one of the suspects as Rakesh Karsandas Lilani, who already had two similar cheating cases registered against him. Further surveillance in the Nalasopara–Virar–Mira Road belt led officers to Yogesh Madhukar Gothankar, who had impersonated Prashant during the fraudulent exchange.

Mastermind and Supplier Nabbed

Based on specific intelligence, both Yogesh and Rakesh were detained from Nagindas Pada in Nalasopara. During interrogation, the duo confessed to their role and revealed that the fake gold biscuits were supplied by Mohit Hemant Sharma, who also received the cheated jewellery and used SIM cards.

Acting swiftly, police arrested Mohit Sharma from Mira Road railway station. All three accused Yogesh Madhukar Gothankar, Rakesh Karsandas Lilani, and Mohit Hemant Sharma admitted to duping jewellers in a similar fashion in Jodhpur (Rajasthan) and Kolkata (West Bengal).

Further Probe Underway

The trio has been handed over to the Byculla Police Station for further investigation.