- Four Indian nationals were arrested in Myagdi, Nepal, for allegedly stealing gold during a deceptive jewelry-cleaning service using chemical solutions.
- The suspects reportedly dissolved small amounts of gold, reducing the jewelry's weight while making it appear clean to unsuspecting owners.
- Police acted after residents reported weight discrepancies, and the Myagdi District Court has granted a five-day remand for investigation.
- Authorities advise the public to use trusted jewelers and weigh their gold before and after any professional cleaning or repair services.
Myagdi, Nepal: For local residents in Dhandkharka, the offer sounded harmless: clean their gold jewelry and make it look as good as new.
But what appeared to be an ordinary jewelry-cleaning service allegedly turned into a scheme to secretly reduce the weight of the gold, according to police.
Myagdi police have arrested four Indian nationals in connection with the alleged scam after residents raised complaints about the way their jewelry was being cleaned. Police say the suspects used chemical solutions during the process that could dissolve a portion of the gold, leaving customers with jewelry that looked clean but weighed less.
The incident has caused concern among local residents, particularly because gold jewelry is often more than just a valuable possession for families. For many, it represents years of savings, family assets and sentimental value.
Inspector Sagar Timilsina of the District Police Office, Myagdi, said the arrested men have been identified as Bikram Kumar, 29, Sanjit Kumar, 32, Raj Kumar Shah, 35, and Sanni Kumar Das, 21. All four are from Khagaria, Bihar, India.
Police arrested them from Darbang and Babiyachaur after receiving complaints from people who suspected that the weight of their gold had been reduced during the cleaning process.
According to investigators, the suspects allegedly used chemicals capable of dissolving gold while presenting the activity as a routine cleaning service. The method allowed them to remove a small amount of gold without necessarily making an obvious change to the appearance of the jewelry.
For customers, the loss could easily go unnoticed unless the jewelry was weighed before and after cleaning.
The four suspects were subsequently produced before the Myagdi District Court, which granted police a five-day remand to continue the investigation.
Police are now trying to establish how many people may have been affected and how much gold may have been lost. Investigators are also looking into whether the suspects had carried out similar activities in other locations.
The incident serves as a reminder that valuable jewelry should not be handed over casually to strangers offering cleaning or repair services. Police have encouraged residents to use trusted jewelers and, where possible, have their jewelry weighed before and after any cleaning or repair.
What began for some residents as a simple attempt to make their gold jewelry shine again has now become a police investigation into an alleged scheme that may have quietly taken away part of its value.
