In a shocking case from Gujarat’s Dahod, a man allegedly created a fake bank branch and escaped with gold biscuits worth ₹28.6 lakh in just 15 minutes. The accused pretended to be a bank manager and reportedly used a secret exit near the locker room to flee after taking the gold.
How the Victims Were Contacted
The incident took place on July 15, when Dahod was preparing for the Lord Jagannath Rath Yatra. According to the police, Rakesh Kumar Gandhi and his son Jay Gandhi, who own Mahavir Jewellers in Netaji Bazaar, were contacted by a man claiming he wanted to donate gold biscuits during the festival.
The man first visited their jewellery shop around 2:45 pm and collected a visiting card, saying his manager would contact them. Soon after, Jay received a phone call from a person introducing himself as Sumit Kumar, the manager of Utkarsh Finance Bank. He asked about the price of gold biscuits and later placed an order for ten 10-gram gold biscuits and two 50-gram gold biscuits. The total value of the order was ₹28.60 lakh.
Gold Delivery to the Fake Bank
When Jay asked about payment, the caller said he would pay in cash and requested that the gold be delivered to the bank branch. The next day, he sent the address through WhatsApp and asked them to come to Hall No. 3, The Landmark, opposite Chhab Lake on Godhra Road in Dahod.
The father and son reached the location with 200 grams of gold biscuits. Inside the office, they saw around ten people sitting at desks along with a manager’s cabin, making the office appear like a real bank.
Fake Manager Creates Trust
A man introduced himself as Sumit Kumar and said he had spoken to them on the phone. He explained that the branch was about to open and that senior officials from Mumbai were expected to attend the inauguration.
He took the gold biscuits and entered a locker room connected to his cabin. After a few minutes, he returned with a black duffle bag and told the jewellers that it contained half of the payment. He then asked a woman sitting outside the cabin to stay with the jewellers while he went back to collect the remaining cash from another locker.
Secret Exit Used for Escape
The fake manager kept delaying by asking whether bundles of ₹200 and ₹100 notes would be acceptable. When he did not return even after 10 minutes, the jewellers asked the woman to check.
She went inside and came back saying that no one was inside the room. The jewellers entered the locker room and discovered another door leading outside. They then realised the manager had escaped through the secret exit.
Interview Candidates Posed as Bank Employees
The people sitting inside the office then revealed that they were not bank employees but candidates who had come for job interviews.
Police later found that the accused had advertised job openings and asked the candidates to sit like bank staff. They were instructed to tell visitors that they worked at the bank and were warned that revealing they were interview candidates could affect their chances of getting selected.
Fake Bank Office Carefully Planned
Investigators found that the computers in the office were switched off and the documents placed on the tables were only blank sheets of paper. Police believe the entire office was created to make visitors believe they had entered a genuine bank branch.
The accused had reportedly rented the hall by claiming he was opening a new branch of Utkarsh Finance Bank. He convinced the property owner by promising a long-term lease and saying that senior officials from Mumbai would attend the opening ceremony during the Rath Yatra. He also paid using post-dated cheques to gain the owner’s trust.
Police said he similarly obtained furniture, computers and other office equipment from suppliers using cheque-based promises, creating a complete bank-like setup with a manager’s cabin and locker room.
Police Investigation Continues
According to investigators, the accused carefully planned the entire operation. The cabin and locker room were designed so that visitors could not see his movements. After taking the gold, he allegedly escaped through the hidden exit and fled on a motorcycle without a number plate.
Police are now investigating the identity of the accused, his current location and whether other people were involved in the planned heist.
