Fake ornaments seized, Srinagar goldsmith held

The police in Srinagar said on Thursday they have apprehended an individual involved in the sale of counterfeit gold ornaments.

A spokesperson said on January 9, a written complaint was lodged at Nowhatta police station by one Nisar Ahmad Bhat, presently living in Srinagar and working as a storekeeper at Lalmandi Srinagar.

In his complaint, he said he had purchased gold ornaments from Mehraj Din Qazi, proprietor of M/s Soliya Ornaments in Bijbehara in South Kashmir but those turned out to be fake.

The police said a case under relevant Sections has been registered in Nowhatta police station.

Acting swiftly, the investigating team arrested Mehraj Din and seized the fake jewellery.

During questioning, the accused admitted to deceiving customers by embossing fake hallmarks on gold-like ornaments.

“The investigating team also learnt that the accused had been making home deliveries of these counterfeit items to various locations of Srinagar City, including Nowhatta,” the police said, adding that tests of the seized jewellery have confirmed that the ornaments in question are indeed counterfeit. The police said investigation is going on to uncover any further links in this fraudulent network.