Vigilant Courier Executive in Pune Thwarts Elaborate Gold Bar Swap Scam
In a remarkable display of alertness, a delivery person working for a courier company in Pune's Moshi area recently prevented a sophisticated fraud attempt involving gold bars valued at approximately Rs 3 lakh. The executive noticed suspicious discrepancies in two parcels and immediately alerted his colleagues, leading to the apprehension of the accused by the Bhosari MIDC police.
Accused Booked Under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Sections
The individual attempting the fraudulent swap has been identified as Dhiraj Kumar Gupta, originally from Nalanda district in Bihar. Police have registered a case against Gupta under sections 318 (cheating) and 319 (cheating by personation) of the newly implemented Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Following his arrest, the court has remanded Gupta to five days of police custody for further investigation.
Modus Operandi of the Elaborate Fraud Scheme
According to Police Sub-Inspector Balaji Jonapalle of Bhosari MIDC police station, Gupta had placed an order for two gold bars through an e-commerce platform using a woman's identity and completed the payment online. On February 6 around 2 PM, when the delivery executive contacted the registered woman to confirm the delivery address in Moshi, a man approached claiming to be her relative sent to collect the parcels.
The delivery person handed over the packages but requested the One-Time Password (OTP) for verification. When the man began evading sharing the OTP and attempts to contact the registered woman failed due to her phone being unreachable, the executive grew suspicious and demanded the parcels back. The man returned them, stating he would cancel the order instead.
Discovery of Duplicate Parcels and Swift Police Action
Upon inspection, the delivery executive discovered the returned parcels were identical-looking duplicates containing no gold bars. He immediately alerted his colleagues, who escorted the accused to the police station. Examination confirmed the swapped parcels were completely empty.
During interrogation, Gupta confessed to placing the order using his wife's name. After receiving the delivery call, he deliberately switched off the registered mobile phone to prevent OTP delivery. His elaborate plan involved exchanging the original parcels with convincing dummy versions, retaining the valuable gold bars, and later canceling the order to obtain a refund.
Background and Ongoing Investigation
Investigations have revealed that Gupta's daughter is currently studying at a college in Pune, and he had traveled specifically from Bihar to execute this fraudulent scheme. Police authorities are actively investigating whether any additional individuals were involved in planning or assisting with the crime.
This incident highlights the critical importance of vigilance among delivery personnel and the effectiveness of verification protocols in preventing sophisticated fraud attempts in the e-commerce and logistics sectors.
