Businessman duped of Rs 1.3 crore with fake notes bearing Anupam Kher’s image

A bullion trader in Ahmedabad lost 2 kg of gold, worth Rs 1.3 crore, by fraudsters who used fake currency notes featuring Bollywood actor Anupam Kher’s image.
Mehul Thakkar, a gold and silver trader, received a call on September 23 from the manager of Laxmi Jewellers, who is known to him. The manager asked him about the price of over 2 kg of gold for a third party.
Thakkar, who had been doing business with Laxmi Jewellers for over 15 years, confidently made the deal for Rs 1.6 crore.
The following day, on September 24, the manager informed Thakkar that the buyer required the gold urgently, but due to a technical issue with RTGS (Real Time Gross Settlement), they would provide a security deposit in cash and transfer the remaining amount later.
The gold was to be exchanged at an Angadia (traditional money courier) firm in the Navrangpura area. Thakkar sent one of his employees to deliver the gold, where three individuals were present, one of whom was using a currency counting machine.
After handing over the gold, Thakkar’s employee inspected the Rs 1.3 crore security deposit and discovered the notes were fake. Instead of Mahatma Gandhi’s image, the notes featured actor Anupam Kher, with a stamp of the “Star Bank of India” instead of the State Bank of India (SBI).
Upon realising the scam, Thakkar and the manager of Laxmi Jewellers rushed to the location, only to find that the so-called Angadia firm had been set up just two days ago.
When the person who had contacted on account of Laxmi Jewellers was called, his phone was switched off, after which Mehul Thakkar lodged a complaint.
Thakkar filed a complaint with the police, who are now investigating the case. The police have started reviewing CCTV footage from the area and are working to identify the fraudsters.
The case prompted even Anupam Kher to react. “My photo instead of Gandhiji’s photo on Rs 500 notes???? Anything can happen (sic),” he said in a tweet.