Three dupe Anand forex trader of US $10K, £5K

Vadodara: A man from Anand fell prey to three tricksters on the busy RC Dutt Road in the posh Alkapuri area on Saturday afternoon after they hoodwinked him of US $10,000 and £5,000 by posing as customs officers.
The victim identified as Vijay Kalyani got down from an auto rickshaw near a petrol pump beside a prominent hotel and started walking towards Avanti Chambers in the lane beside the petrol pump. One of the three accused approached him and introduced himself as a sales tax officer. “He told the man that his senior officers are calling him,” said a police official, adding that the other accused requested Kalyani to allow them to check his bag.
When he agreed, one accused posing as the senior officer started checking the bag while the other two kept Kalyani busy in conversation. The accused siphoned off the packet containing the cash and returned the bag to Kalyani allowing him to leave the spot. Kalyani resumed his journey towards a money exchange office at Avanti Chambers when he suddenly became suspicious and opened the bag. To his horror, he found that the packet which contained the cash was missing. He quickly turned around to look for the trio, but the trickster trio vanished from the scene on their bikes.
Kalyani then alerted Hitendra Rathod, owner of the currency exchange office and called the police. Cops said that they are examining CCTV footage of traffic junctions and nearby shops to get more details about the accused.
“The complainant wanted to exchange the currency in Vadodara as he too is in the business of forex. We have taken his statement and are also talking to local shop owners or other eyewitnesses,” the police official said.
An offence was registered at Gotri police station late on Saturday night based on Kalyani’s complaint.