Iridium scam foiled in Ooty; one arrested

UDHAGAMANDALAM: A gang's attempt to dupe businessmen by passing off a copper pot as 'iridium' and promising crores of rupees through a 'rice-pulling' scheme was foiled by the Ooty Central police .Police said the gang had rented a room at a private resort in Gandhi Nagar near Ooty and approached potential buyers claiming they possessed iridium, a rare and valuable substance. They allegedly told buyers that it could make them crorepatis and demanded lakhs of rupees.Several people reportedly visited the resort to inspect the purported iridium. Acting on information about suspicious activities at the resort, a police team led by inspectors Anbarasu and Ramya, along with a police team, monitored the suspects. Police found that the gang had purchased a copper pot from Coimbatore Town Hall and was attempting to pass it off as iridium. On seeing police, most suspects fled. However, Naresh Kumar, 43, of Ooty was caught.Police said the gang had initially planned to demonstrate a 'rice-pulling' trick using a magnet mixed with rice. However, the stunt repeatedly failed as the rice did not stick to the pot. The gang then changed its plan and attempted to sell the pot as iridium, with a backup plan to threaten those refusing to pay.Police suspect links to people in Coimbatore, Dindigul and Kerala and have formed a special team to trace the absconders. They are also checking whether anyone had already lost money.