Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru
Mangaluru, July 13: A woman was arrested recently for scamming a jewellery store in Shirva. When the police dug into the background of the woman, more cases of fraud have come to light. Farida, the accused, is reportedly involved in similar scams across several regions in and around Mangaluru, including Bajpe, Moodbidri, and Kavoor.
Prior to the Shirva case, Farida had executed similar fraudulent schemes in areas surrounding Bajpe. Notably, several cheating cases involving her had already been registered in various police stations under Mangaluru city commissionerate limits.
She allegedly used the alias "Farida" to cheat gold jewellery shop owners in Bajpe, Moodbidri, and Kavoor. The cases had been transferred to CEN station, and police had earlier arrested and produced her before court, where she was granted bail. Charge sheets have been filed in these three cases, and trials are currently underway.
Family members also under suspicion
Farida hails from Kuppepadavu near Edapadavu, and is accused of carrying out these crimes with the assistance of her husband, father, brother, and aunt. Local sources say that she targeted not just jewellery stores, but also vegetable shops and fish markets using similar fraudulent methods. She reportedly travelled in rented luxury cars while executing these scams.
Even while cases were pending in court, she allegedly continued her cheating operations — the recent Shirva case being an example. It is reported that jewellery store owners fell prey to her scams, enticed by the prospect of large transactions.
Bajpe case: Rs 7.3 lac jewellery scam
According to Bajpe police, Farida cheated a jeweller in Kaikamba in 2020 by using forged documents and issuing fake cheques to purchase gold ornaments worth Rs 7.3 lac. The shop owner, S Anand Achari, had filed a complaint on September 28, 2020.
In a similar earlier case, she had duped another jeweller in Moodbidri of Rs 30 lac worth of gold using fake cheques. The accused was arrested on October 19 from her house in Kuppepadavu. Police recovered jewellery worth Rs 12 lac related to the Bajpe and Moodbidri cases.
Kavoor case: Used WhatsApp to place fake order
Another case was filed at Kavoor police station in April. On March 25, posing as a resident of Kunjathbail, Farida contacted a jewellery store owner over the phone, stating that she needed a bracelet, a chain, and two rings for a baby naming ceremony. She requested designs over WhatsApp, selected four items, and said she would send a boy to collect them. She also sent a fake payment slip showing a bank transfer of Rs 1.36 lac. When no money was credited after two days, the shop owner realised the fraud and filed a complaint.
Notorious conwoman
Anand Achari, the jeweller from Kaikamba, said, “Cheating is her profession. With police support, I managed to recover the money she owed me. I’ve warned many others about her fraudulent activities.”
Farida has reportedly cheated jewellers across multiple stations under the commissionerate limits. Given the financial nature of the crimes, the cases have been consolidated and transferred to the CEN station. Police have completed the investigation and filed charge sheets. The matter is now pending before court, said K Ravishankar, DCP (Crime and Traffic).