Simhachalam gold scam: Woman among three arrested in Vizag

By Newsmeter Network  Published on  9 Sep 2020 3:07 PM GMT
Simhachalam gold scam: Woman among three arrested in Vizag

Visakhapatnam: The Vizag police arrested three persons, including a woman, on 9 September for cheating a Nellore woman to the tune of Rs. 1.44 Cr by promising to give her gold from the Simhachalam temple. The police, however, said the victim had paid Rs. 38.2 lakh.

The Gopalapatnam police arrested Kona Hymavathi (39), Rambhukta Vasu (28), and Dekka Nagendra Teja (19) and recovered 22 grams of gold, Rs. 2 lakh cash, a motorbike, six mobile phones, and documents from them.

The victim, M. Sravani from Sullurpeta in Nellore, had filed a complaint claiming that Kona Hymavathi had cheated her to the tune of Rs. 1.44 crore by promising her gold from the Simhachalam temple. The Simhachalam Devasthanam had filed a complaint at the Gopalapatnam police station a few days ago against four persons in the alleged gold scam.

In the complaint, the assistant executive officer of Sri Varahalakshmi Narasimha Swamy Devasthanam, Y. Srinivasa Rao, had said Sravani had sent a mail to the Devasthanam authorities informing them that she had paid Rs. 1.44 crore to Hymavathi to purchase gold from Simhachalam temple at an auction. Sravani claimed she had received copies of the tax invoice and cash bills. She had sent copies of the same along with the mail. Sravani said she neither got the gold nor her money.

It was later found that the invoice and cash bill were fake and the signature of the former executive officer of the temple, D. Bhraramba, had been forged.

The deputy commissioner of police, V. Suresh Babu, said Hymavathi and her son Nagendra Teja had received Rs. 38.2 lakh from Sravani. Hymavathi had cheated Sravani by creating fake documents.

After receiving the money from Sravani, Hymavathi had paid her loans amounting to Rs. 17 lakh, purchased some gold and silver ornaments, a motorbike, and a few electronic gadgets. Rambhukta Vasu helped Hymavathi create the fake bills and invoices, the police said.

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