NAGPUR: A 32-year-old man from Indore allegedly cheated a priest in the Mankapur area of Nagpur of ₹45,000 by selling him a fake gold necklace after gaining his confidence through an elaborate deception.

The accused has been identified as Shyam Ramesh Solanki, a resident of Indore, Madhya Pradesh. The complainant, Dheeraj Trivediprasad Pandey (31), is a priest residing near Prashant Kirana Stores in Gorewada, Mankapur.

According to the complaint, the accused approached Pandey on November 4, claiming that he had no children and wanted to perform a puja at his residence. During their interaction, Solanki allegedly told the priest that he had found a gold necklace while digging and wanted him to get it verified by a jeweller.

The accused reportedly claimed that he urgently needed money for his sister's wedding and offered to sell the necklace. To convince the priest of its authenticity, he allegedly removed one bead from the necklace and gave it to him for verification.

After the bead was found to be genuine gold, the priest believed the accused's claims and paid him ₹45,000. However, upon subsequently getting the entire necklace examined, he discovered that it was counterfeit.

Following the complaint, Mankapur police registered an offence against Solanki under Section 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Further investigation is underway.