Woman accused of defrauding goldsmiths across Kashmir held in Punjab

Srinagar, Nov 17: Police have arrested a woman accused of orchestrating a long-running cheating racket across several districts of Kashmir, following a carefully coordinated operation by police station Lal Bazar in Srinagar that traced her to a hotel in the city of Jalandhar in Punjab.
The accused, identified as Asmat Jan, also known as Taboo, a local of Maisuma Srinagar, has been facing multiple complaints from gold traders and individuals who claimed to have been defrauded by her over the past several months.
Officials said that the woman has been named in numerous FIRs registered not only in Srinagar but also in police stations of Khrew, Awantipora, Pulwama, Sopore and Chadoora, reflecting the scale of her alleged activities. At Police Station Lal Bazar, a fresh case under FIR No. 42 of 2025 has been lodged against her under sections 303(2) and 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
They said the accused had been deliberately evading arrest for an extended period and frequently changed her location to avoid detection. “On 15 November, Lal Bazar Police received credible intelligence suggesting that she had taken refuge at a hotel in Jalandhar, Punjab. Acting on the input, a team from Lal Bazar, working under the supervision of SDPO Zadibal and SP Hazratbal, immediately travelled to Punjab, located the hotel and detained the accused without resistance.”
“She has since been brought back to Srinagar on a two-day transit remand for further questioning.”
Police officials said her arrest is expected to shed light on the network of individuals she may have collaborated with and the methods used to deceive shopkeepers and private individuals.
It is pertinent to mention that the Gold Association of Kashmir Valley had held two press conferences in Srinagar in recent past, alleging that the accused had systematically cheated gold dealers by posing as a customer, gaining their trust and then disappearing with high-value items. The association had urged police to track her down, citing repeated financial losses to traders across districts.
Police said further investigation is underway to verify additional complaints, identify possible accomplices and determine the full extent of the cheating cases linked to the accused. [KNT]