A young photographer from Chennai, Raghavendra M. Gokul, 29, was scammed during a pre-wedding shoot, leading to the theft of his equipment valued at Rs 12.85 lakh. The victim lives in Shantinagar, Vyasarpadi, Chennai, and reported the incident to the Bundgarden police.
On January 18, Gokul's brother, Govindaraju, was contacted by two suspects who lured them to Pune with an offer for a pre-wedding shoot. They promised Rs 3 lakh in payment and arranged for their travel and accommodation, sending Rs 19,000 in advance.
Gokul and Govindaraju arrived in Pune on January 22 and checked into a lodge near Pune station. The following morning, they were told to meet the suspects near the Corianthan Club. However, when they arrived, the suspects' phone was turned off. After waiting for an hour without any contact, the brothers returned to the lodge and discovered that their equipment, which included three cameras, lenses, and other gear, had been stolen.
Gokul quickly reported the theft to the lodge manager, and CCTV footage showed a suspect leaving with the stolen items. The Aadhaar card used for the lodge booking had addresses in Nizamabad and Nagpur. Sub-Inspector Ganesh Chavan from Bundgarden police has started an investigation and is working to locate the suspects.