Hyderabad, Aug 10: Hyderabad Police have arrested four persons for cheating people on the pretext of locating hidden treasure, officials said on Monday.

The sleuths of the Commissioner’s Task Force, Shamshabad Zone, in coordination with the Rajendra Nagar police, busted a racket involving cheating of innocent persons on the false pretext of locating hidden treasure (Gupta Nidhulu) buried beneath houses, a police officer said.

Police investigation revealed that the accused had cheated 11 people to the tune of around Rs one crore in different areas.

According to K.S. Rao, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police, Taskforce, the accused used to approach innocent and gullible people, claiming that they possessed special knowledge and could locate hidden treasure buried underground in residential premises. After digging the ground, they used to plant a sack containing coal along with duplicate gold-coated coins. Later, they absconded after stating that it would take some time to convert the coal into gold.

The accused have been identified as Mohd Munawar, Syed Ali Ashraf, Mohd Haji and Mohd Salman.

Police seized two four-wheelers, one auto-rickshaw, two motorcycles, four cell phones, 25 fake gold coins, coal, soil and puja material from their possession.

According to police, the prime accused, Munawar, was engaged in car denting and painting work. As his income was not sufficient to meet his family expenses, he allegedly hatched a plan to cheat gullible people by claiming that he had special knowledge and the ability to locate hidden treasure (Gupta Nidhulu) buried beneath their houses. He contacted his friends, who joined him in the illegal activity with the intention of earning easy money.

A case was registered against the accused at Rajendra Nagar Police Station under BNS sections 318(4), 351(2), 61(2) r/w 3(5).

The police said that it has come to their notice that, in recent times, some fraudsters have been moving around streets, villages, and towns claiming that hidden/underground treasures (Gupta Nidhulu) are available at certain places and are cheating the gullible people by making false promises.

Police have cautioned the general public not to believe or fall victim to such persons and their fraudulent activities.

Bengaluru: The Karnataka Police suspect that a Bengaluru-based techie who went missing from the historic Shivagange Hill in Bengaluru Rural district may have planned to take his own life, with investigators recovering searches from his laptop that allegedly indicate he had researched the consequences of falling from the hill.

The missing techie, identified as Advait Upadhyaya, a native of Indore in Madhya Pradesh who was residing in Kadugodi in Bengaluru, went missing after arriving at Shivagange for trekking on Friday.

A major search operation has been underway for the past three days, involving the police, fire and emergency services, the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and other personnel. Teams are searching the difficult terrain of Shivagange Hill using drones and other modern equipment.

According to police sources, the investigation has revealed several details that have strengthened the suspicion that Upadhyaya may have planned to take the extreme step.

Police recovered a laptop from his residence and managed to access it during the investigation. They allegedly found that Upadhyaya had used an AI tool to search for information about the time it would take to die if he fell from Shivagange Hill.

Investigators also found searches relating to the height of the hill and the possible consequences of a fall. According to the police, an AI-generated response suggested that a person falling from the hill at around 7.30 a.m. could potentially die.

Based on these searches and other evidence gathered during the investigation, police suspect that Upadhyaya may have travelled to Shivagange on August 4 itself, ahead of his planned trekking trip on August 7.

On August 7, Upadhyaya reportedly began trekking at Shivagange. Soon after starting the trek, he sent a photograph to a woman to whom he was engaged. He subsequently became unreachable.

Police have also obtained a photograph of Upadhyaya taken by another tourist while he was reportedly at the hilltop. Investigators are examining the photograph and other available evidence to establish his movements before he went missing.

The search operation is being led by Nelamangala Town Circle Inspector Bharat Gowda and involves police personnel, SDRF teams and experts familiar with the difficult terrain.

The teams are using drone cameras to scan inaccessible portions of the hill and are searching narrow, deep and steep sections where a person could potentially be trapped or have fallen.

The Shantala Drop, a popular tourist spot atop Shivagange, is one of the most challenging areas for search teams because of its steep terrain and difficult access.

Officials are continuing the search while examining technical and other evidence to determine exactly what happened to Upadhyaya.

Police have not yet confirmed that Upadhyaya has died and are continuing efforts to locate him. The search operation is likely to continue until the missing techie is traced.

Ahmedabad: A rape accused in Ahmedabad was shot in the leg by police after he attempted to escape custody and snatched a police inspector’s service revolver during a late-night recovery panchnama in the Hebatpur area, officials said on Monday.

The accused, identified as Dhram Singh, had been arrested on Sunday in connection with the rape case of a 23-year-old interior design student at a paying guest accommodation in Anandnagar.

He was taken to Hebatpur later that night to recover the woman’s mobile phone, which police said he had stolen after the assault.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 7) Shivam Varma said that Dhram Singh had undergone medical tests and DNA sampling before being taken to the location for the recovery proceedings.

“During the process of this recovery panchnama, the accused, in an attempt to escape police custody, tried to snatch the service revolver of Inspector RS Parmar. A scuffle ensued, and Constable Virendrasinh was hurt in the process. An officer fired two rounds at the leg of the accused, one of which hit him. The condition of the accused and the injured constable is stable,” DCP Varma told reporters outside the hospital.

Both Dhram Singh and the injured police constable were taken to GMERS Sola Civil Hospital for treatment.

The accused was brought to the hospital on a stretcher with a bandage around his right foot. Senior police officers, including the JCP and DCP, also reached the hospital following the firing.

Police indicated a separate case would be registered against Dhram Singh at Bodakdev Police Station in connection with the alleged attempt to escape custody and seize the officer’s firearm.

Officials said the investigation would examine the circumstances of the confrontation and the police response.

The latest development comes a day after Dhram Singh was arrested following a manhunt involving more than 10 teams from Anandnagar police, the Local Crime Branch and Crime Branch.

Police allege that the accused, who is from Hardoi in Uttar Pradesh and had joined the residential complex as a security guard only days before the incident, attacked the student on the terrace of the building on Saturday night.

According to JCP Neeraj Badgujar, the accused allegedly placed a wire around her neck, causing her to lose consciousness, before sexually assaulting her and fleeing with her mobile phone.

Police said the accused was arrested within hours of the complaint. The investigation into the rape and the circumstances surrounding the subsequent confrontation with police are continuing.