Hyderabad Police Bust ‘Hidden Treasure’ Scam; Four Arrested
HYDERABAD: Shamshabad Zone Task Force police, with the help of Rajendranagar police, arrested four men for allegedly cheating people with a fake hidden-treasure scheme.
The gang allegedly told victims that valuable treasure lay buried beneath houses. Police seized two cars, an autorickshaw, two motorcycles, four mobile phones, 25 fake gold-plated coins, 6 kg of coal, 4 kg of soil and puja material from the accused.
Police identified the arrested men as Mohammed Munawar alias Munna, 36, Syed Ali Ashraf, 40, Mohammed Haji, 25, and Mohammed Salman, 29.
Gang allegedly cheated 11 people of up to ₹1 crore
Police said Munawar, the prime accused, had earlier faced a cheating case at Begum Bazaar police station.
According to investigators, Munawar approached people by claiming he had special skills to identify and recover hidden treasure.
The gang would first select a location and arrange for a pit to be dug. They would then secretly place a bag containing coal and fake gold coins inside the pit.
After that, the accused performed puja at the spot. They allegedly told victims that the coal needed time to turn into gold. The gang would then leave, according to police.
Investigators found that the accused had allegedly cheated around 11 people and collected up to ₹1 crore from them.
Case registered under BNS sections
Rajendranagar police registered Crime No. 916/2026 under Sections 318(4), 351(2) and 61(2), read with Section 3(5), of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Further investigation is underway.
Police urged people not to hand over money to anyone claiming to have special powers or promising to recover hidden treasure.
They also asked people to immediately inform the police about suspected fraudulent or illegal activities.
The case was cracked by Shamshabad Zone Task Force Inspector K. Ravi and Sub-Inspectors K. Mansoor Ali, Narsingarao and S. Seshu, along with their staff, in coordination with Rajendranagar police.
