Sharddha Upadhye
In a bizarre turn of events, two men in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, orchestrated a scam involving counterfeit Rs 500 notes that featured Bollywood actor Anupam Kher’s photo instead of Mahatma Gandhi’s. The incident left many, including Kher himself, in disbelief, prompting a humorous reaction from the actor on social media. He quipped, “Lo ji krlo baat… 500 ke note par Gandhi ji ke jagah meri photo???? Kuch bhi ho skta hai” (Look at this! ₹500 notes with my photo instead of Gandhi’s? Anything can happen!).
The incident unfolded when a trader, Mehul Thakkar, dispatched his employee, Bharat Joshi, to deliver 2,100 grams of gold worth ₹1.6 crore as part of a business deal. The deal was arranged after Thakkar received a call from Prashant Patel, a trusted jewellery shop manager, who informed him that the buyers could not transfer the full amount immediately but would pay ₹1.3 crore in cash, with the remaining ₹30 lakh to follow.
At their temporary office in Navrangpura, Joshi was handed 26 bundles of cash. However, as he started counting the money, he discovered the alarming truth: the notes were counterfeit, featuring Anupam Kher’s image. By the time he realized the scam, the perpetrators had already made off with the gold.
After Thakkar reported the incident to the Navrangpura police, an investigation was launched, including a review of CCTV footage to track the suspects, who are still at large. Authorities noted that the scammers had set up their operation only two days prior, making it difficult for Joshi and Thakkar to spot any warning signs.
As the investigation unfolds, Anupam Kher’s humorous take on the situation has gone viral, adding an unusual twist to this outrageous fraud case .
