Lakhimpur police has arrested one person along with artifacts made of fake gold at Fatehpur Laogaon in Bangalmora.
The accused, Md. Abdul Jalil hailed from Fatehpur Laogaon and was arrested along with a boat-shaped artifact and a statue of Jesus Christ on Wednesday.
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This is the thirteenth case involving fake gold and counterfeit currencies to have been reported in Bangalmara area in the last three months.
The infamous trade of fake gold and counterfeit currency notes brought notoriety to the district as fraudsters here have repeatedly duped people from various parts of the state and the country.
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The fraudster’s modus operandi is to lure potential buyers through phone calls by middlemen and hand over the gold, mostly in the form of a boat or statue and fake notes or the currency note “printing machine” in exchange for money worth several lakhs of rupees.
Several times the police arrived on the spot and arrested both the sellers and buyers.
However, the sellers were soon released on bail and the customers had to incur a huge monetary loss.
Those involved allegedly operate as various gangs in a cluster of villages under Laluk, Bihpuria and Nowboicha police stations and Bangalmara and Sianibari police outposts.
Many of them have been arrested several times, but that did not deter them from duping unsuspecting people.
There have been public allegations of corruption involving the police and political leaders, who have a nexus with these criminals to carry out this illegal trade.
“Though the police arrest those involved in felling fake artifacts at regular intervals, they are released on bail,” said a resident of Bangalmora.
“The police and the district administration should sensitize the public about this illegal trade so that it can be rooted out completely from the area,” he said
Locals also alleged that the role of the police is also suspicious.
According to locals, those involved in the trade inform police about buyers returning with artifacts made of fake gold or printing machines and the police arrest them red-handed.
The biggest question that remains unanswered has been the supply of materials used in making the fake gold or printing machine.
The indifference of social organizations and activists and apathy by all stakeholders has helped this illegal trade to flourish in the district.