The Charkop police have busted an interstate gang that cheated jewellers. The cops on Sunday arrested a man from Rajasthan, Jitendra Sundar Bhopa, 29, for allegedly duping a Kandivli-based jeweller of Rs 43 lakh by mortgaging fake gold idols of deities. Bhopa, along with several accomplices, including men, a woman and a child, posed as a family to gain the trust of jewellers. However, it was revealed that the woman and child were hired from Rajasthan for this purpose.

The gang used a unique modus operandi to carry out the fraud. Initially, Bhopa mortgaged small amounts of actual gold with the jeweller, Kamlesh Mangilal Jain, 46, on four occasions, building a sense of trust. In August, Bhopa mortgaged 54 idols, claiming that they were made of gold. Due to the trust he had established by always paying off the mortgage before the due date, Jain blindly trusted him and handed over Rs 43 lakh.