A major fraud case has come to light in Miraj taluka, where a couple was duped of gold ornaments worth six lakh rupees under the pretext of receiving medicine to help them conceive a child. The accused, identified as Nagesh Raju Nikam (36) of Nimanirgaon, Indapur, Pune, tricked the couple by asking the woman to place her gold and silver ornaments on a cloth in a prayer room. He then claimed he would visit a nearby temple, place the ornaments in a brass pot, and escape with them in his car.
When the man failed to return even after 20 minutes, the couple realized they had been cheated. The woman lodged a complaint at Miraj Rural Police Station. Acting on the case, the local crime branch initiated a search for the fraudster. Assistant Inspector Pankaj Pawar and his team received a tip-off from Constable Sagar Lavate that Nikam was roaming in Sangli. Soon, his suspicious vehicle was spotted near the old toll gate area in Madhavnagar. The police intercepted the car and detained Nikam immediately.
During the vehicle search, police discovered a brass pot in the trunk and gold and silver ornaments wrapped in cloth near the gear box. On interrogation, Nikam confessed to stealing the ornaments two days earlier in Miraj taluka under the guise of providing fertility medicine. The police seized items worth six lakh rupees, including his car valued at five lakhs and the ornaments. Following the arrest, he was handed over to Miraj Rural Police for further investigation and legal action in the matter.
The operation was carried out under the guidance of Inspector Satish Shinde and Assistant Inspector Pankaj Pawar. The team included constables Sagar Lavate, Nagesh Kharat, Dariba Bandgar, Sagar Tingre, Sandeep Nalavade, Amirsha Fakir, Satish Mane, Sandeep Gurav, Machhindra Barde, Udaysingh Mali, Anil Kolekar, Amar Narale, Sanket Magdum, Imran Mulla, Kerba Chavan, Vikram Khot, Shashikant Jadhav, Vikas Bhosale, and Abhijit Patil. Thanks to their swift action, the stolen property was recovered, and a repeat offender was taken into custody, preventing further possible fraud cases in the region.