Udupi: Fake gold behind suicide of jeweler family at Padubelle
Bellevision Media Network
Udupi, 18 Jul 2017: A new lead has emerged in the suicide case of jeweler Shankar Acharya and family of Padubelle, near here. Shanker had cheated a bank by borrowing gold loan worth Rs 65 lac by mortgaging 3 kilograms of fake gold.
Shanker was running a jewelry shop at Padubelle, near here, since the past 30 years. He had committed suicide along with his wife Nirmala, daughters Shruti and Shriya, on Thursday, July 13 by mixing cyanide in the meals.
Shanker was a customer of a bank that has a branch at Kurkal, near here, since the past 15 years. He used to borrow by mortgaging gold and repaying the loan. Meanwhile, the investigations revealed there are 93 such accounts by mortgaging 3 kilograms of fake gold. Out of which only 100 grams was a genuine, informed bank sources.
When Kurkal branch manager Umesh Amin got the news about Shanker and family committed suicide, he informed the bank general manager about the gold loan advanced to Shanker. The general manager Manohar Rao assigned a independent assessor to test the quality of gold that was mortgaged by Shanker with the bank. The surveyor certified it was fake gold.
Umesh Acharya & Umesh Amin
The general manager Manohar Rao lodged complaint with police that both branch manager Umesh Amin and gold assessor Umesh Acharya were involved in the cheating. The assesser Umesh Acharya certified the fake jewelry as genuine and manager Umesh Amin had advanced jewel loan of Rs 65 lac exceeding the limit of Rs 5 lac.
Shanker had applied 2 coats of gold on artificial jewelry that was worth Rs 80 each which he was bringing from Kolkata. He used to mortgage these jewellery, among bracelets and bangles, informed police sources.
The wedding of Shankar and Nirmala couple’s daughter Shruti was supposed to be held with a software engineer working in Hyderabad. Shanker feared the cheating would derail the wedding plans and taken the extreme steps in committing mass suicide.
Shanker has mixed cyanide in the food on July 13 and unwary family consumed it. Shirva police are further investigating the case.
The police have arrested both Umesh Amin (35) and Umesh Acharya (35) for their involvement in cheating the bank.