Copyright thenewshimachal
Theog: A gang posing as wedding shoppers duped a jewellery trader in Theog of nearly ₹25 lakh by selling him 26 kilograms of fake silver in exchange for gold jewellery and cash. The incident has triggered panic among local traders, prompting police to issue an alert across the region. According to reports, the fraud took place in Shali Bazaar, Theog. A couple approached local jeweller Harinder Kumar, claiming they wished to sell ancestral silver to raise money for their daughter’s wedding. To earn his trust, they provided a small sample of what appeared to be genuine silver. After the trader verified the sample, he agreed to purchase a larger quantity. Soon after, four other women joined them, introducing themselves as relatives of the couple. They carried similar silver items and said they were looking to buy gold for the wedding. Believing their story, Harinder Kumar weighed the silver and handed over 190 grams of gold jewelry, 240 grams of silver ornaments, and ₹25,000 in cash in exchange. The next day, when the trader took the 26 kilograms of silver to a testing lab, the metal was found to be fake. Realising he had been cheated, he immediately lodged a complaint at Theog Police Station. Police said the accused, believed to be residents of Rajasthan, fled the town soon after the exchange. Eyewitnesses described the group as being of migrant origin, speaking in simple language, and pretending to be poor and helpless — a ploy that helped them deceive the trader. DSP Siddharth Sharma confirmed that a case has been registered and that police are examining CCTV footage from nearby shops to identify the culprits. “We have intensified the search and alerted nearby districts. Traders are advised to remain cautious while dealing with unknown sellers,” he said.
