Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Nov. 17: A woman accused of running a cheating racket targeting goldsmiths and traders across Kashmir has been arrested in Punjab after what police described as a “carefully coordinated operation.”
According to officials, a team from Police Station Lal Bazar traced the suspect – identified as Asmat Jan, also known as Taboo, a resident of Maisuma – to a hotel in Jalandhar.
“On 15 November, Lal Bazar Police received credible intelligence suggesting that she had taken refuge at a hotel in Jalandhar, Punjab.”
Officials said she has since been brought back to Srinagar on a two-day transit remand for further questioning.
The woman had been facing multiple complaints from gold traders and individuals alleging that they had been defrauded over the past several months.
She is accused of orchestrating a long-running cheating operation spread across several districts in Kashmir.
Officials said she has been named in multiple FIRs not only in Srinagar but also in Khrew, Awantipora, Pulwama, Sopore and Chadoora, indicating the extensive scale of her alleged activities.
At Police Station Lal Bazar, a fresh case has been registered against her under FIR No. 42 of 2025, invoking Sections 303(2) and 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Police said the accused had been “deliberately evading arrest for an extended period” and frequently changed her location to avoid detection.
Her arrest, officials believe, may help uncover the wider network of individuals who may have collaborated with her, as well as the methods used to deceive shopkeepers and private individuals.
Pertinent to mention, the All Kashmir Gold Dealers and Workers Association had recently alleged that the woman systematically cheated them by posing as a customer, gaining their trust and disappearing with high-value items.
The association had urged police to track her down, citing repeated financial losses suffered by traders across districts.
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