Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji

Panaji, Mar 2: Mandrem police have booked a Maharashtra native for allegedly cheating a 65-year-old man and his family of a gold mangalsutra worth Rs 3 lakh under the pretext of performing religious rituals to cure his daughter’s illness.

The accused has been identified as Santosh Malkar, a resident of Mangaon in Maharashtra, police said.

According to a complaint filed by Vithal Arolkar, a resident of Kiranpani-Palyem, the incident took place on February 20. Malkar allegedly approached the family and convinced them that a special ritual was required to treat the complainant’s daughter.

During the ceremony, the accused reportedly instructed the daughter to place her 40-gram gold mangalsutra inside a steel container as part of the ritual process.

Police said the accused allegedly used sleight of hand to remove the gold ornament from the container. In order to avoid immediate detection, he strictly warned the family members not to open the sealed tin for 21 days.

Suspicion arose when the family later checked the container and found the mangalsutra missing. Following the complaint, Mandrem police registered an FIR under Section 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and initiated further investigation into the case.