Hyderabad police arrest four in ‘hidden treasure’ scam

Hyderabad police have arrested four individuals for allegedly operating a ‘Gupta Nidhulu’ (hidden treasure) scam that defrauded 11 victims of approximately Rs 1 crore. The gang, led by 36-year-old Mohd Munawar, targeted residents by claiming to possess special knowledge to locate buried treasure beneath residential properties.

To deceive victims, the group would dig pits on the targeted premises and plant sacks containing coal and duplicate gold-coated coins. They allegedly convinced victims that the coal would eventually transform into gold, using this pretext to collect money before absconding.

The Commissioner’s Task Force (Shamshabad Zone) and Rajendra Nagar Police arrested Mohd Munawar, Syed Ali Ashraf, Mohd Haji, and Mohd Salman. Authorities seized several items used in the deception, including two cars, an auto-rickshaw, two motorcycles, four mobile phones, 25 fake gold coins, 6 kg of coal, 4 kg of soil, and puja material. A case has been registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and investigations are ongoing.