The R Udaygiri police in Gajapati district busted a fake gold bricks racket and arrested three persons including the kingpin of the racket on Friday.
Earlier, a goldsmith, Prafulla Baitaro, of Pudamari village under the Patapur police station in the district, had been duped by the fraudsters of Rs 7 lakh for selling some gold bricks to him.
Finding no other way out, Baitaro lodged a complaint with the police, who started investigations.
Later, the cops nabbed the kingpin of the racket Prabodh Pradhan of Tikamala village under R Udayagiri block and his associates Rabi Raita from Lubursing village and Lohita Singh of Nuagada village.
The police seized cash of R 2 lakh, fake gold bricks and mobile phones from the arrestees’ possession. They have been arrested and forwarded to court, said Gajapati SP Amulya Kumar Dash. Prabodh and his associates have confessed to the police that they had duped Baitaro and sold him the fake gold bricks.
The SP said a police team led by ASI Parmananda Dalai, responsible for busting the racket, would be awarded for solving the case within a short span of time.