Srinagar, Nov 20: Srinagar Police have cracked a major cheating and stolen-gold racket operating across several districts of the Kashmir Valley, arresting a woman identified as the key accused, along with two of her associates.
As per a statement, Police Station Lal Bazar apprehended Asmat Jan alias Taboo, who was wanted in multiple cases of cheating and fraud registered in Lal Bazar, Safakadal, Chadoora, Sopore, and Khrew (Awantipora). According to police, the accused had been absconding for an extended period, frequently moving between West Bengal, Punjab, Maharashtra, and Jammu to evade arrest.
Following specific intelligence inputs, five teams from PS Lal Bazar, working under the supervision of the SDPO and Zonal SP, launched sustained efforts and traced the accused to Hotel White House in Jalandhar, Punjab, where she was arrested.
The Gold Association of Kashmir Valley had earlier raised serious concerns over her repeated involvement in defrauding gold shopkeepers across the region. A case under FIR No. 42/2025 has been registered at PS Lal Bazar under Sections 303(2) and 318(4) of the BNS.
During further investigation, police uncovered the involvement of a goldsmith and his associate who were allegedly receiving, transporting, and disposing of stolen gold provided by the main accused. The arrested associates have been identified as Shameem Ahmad Sheikh, a goldsmith from Indra Nagar, who allegedly purchased stolen ornaments at undervalued rates and facilitated their concealment, and Basir Ahmad Dar of Nawakadal, who is accused of transporting and clandestinely disposing of the stolen gold.
All three accused have been taken into custody. Police said further investigation is in progress, and more arrests and recoveries are likely as the probe continues.
