Conman sells gold-plated chains to couple, escapes

The victim, Krishnan (34) from Gingee in Tiruvanamalai, is a private firm employee. The police said that Krishnan and his wife had come to Chennai for personal work. On Thursday evening, while they were waiting to board a bus to Tiruvanamalai at Perungalathur bus stop, a man in his 40s approached them. He reportedly told them that he was travelling abroad and he has five gold chains weighing 20-sovereigns with him and it was purchased abroad.

He claimed that the Customs would not allow him to carry that much gold with him and so he had decided to sell them at half price. The police said he talked in Tiruvanamalai dialect and so the couple believed him. When the couple said they don’t have enough money to pay him, he agreed to take an advance and then collect the remaining amount when he returns from abroad after 15 days. The police said since the couple did not have any money with them, they decided to give a four-sovereign chain, which his wife was wearing and the con artist agreed.

He said he will collect the rest in cash or gold when he returns. The police said that Krishnan had checked the chains before buying and he believed them to be gold. After the exchange, the conman left the spot to board a train to Perungalathur. Later the couple went to a pawn shop in Perungalahthur and weighed the ornaments. The pawnbroker identified them to be gold-plated and the couple went in search for the conman at Perungalathur railway station as well as near the airport, but could not find him. Later they filed a complaint with the Peerkankaranai police and they are browsing the CCTV footage to identify him.