Couple gets 6 years in prison for stealing $203,000 in gold bars from Castle Pines woman

A scamming duo was sentenced to six years in prison Friday for what prosecutors described as an “elaborate” scheme to trick an elderly Castle Pines woman into buying and handing over gold bars worth about $203,000.

Anil Dhiman, 35, and Punit Punit, 30, both Indian immigrants, were behind the scam in which a caller who identified himself as an “agent” told the woman that her identity had been stolen and that someone was using your financial information to write fraudulent messages. checks to pornography websites, according to a press release from the 18th Judicial District Prosecutor’s Office.

The caller instructed him to open a new bank account, transfer hundreds of thousands of dollars into it, and then use the funds to purchase gold bars at a store in Littleton.

He was then ordered to deliver the precious metals to an “undercover agent” in the parking lot of a business in Castle Pines. After doing so, he continued to receive calls and messages instructing him to purchase more gold to restore his identity.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office issued a “fraud alert” about the scam in May after being contacted by numerous residents who, like the Castle Pines victim, were asked to purchase and deliver gold bars. to the suspects in a parking lot.