2 arrested in Colorado and charged with gold bullion scam in Douglas County

In an operation dubbed “Operation I Love Gold,” Douglas County detectives arrested two men accused of a scam in which they asked the victim to purchase gold bars and deliver them then to the suspects. The suspects were arrested May 23 in a parking lot near I-25 and Castle Pines Parkway as they showed up for what they thought was a delivery of the gold bars.

According to detectives, they were alerted to the crime by the 76-year-old victim who reported receiving a pop-up message on her iPad on March 12. She was unable to use her iPad after the message appeared and it asked her to call a phone number.

When she called the phone number, she was told that her identity and accounts had been compromised and she was transferred to “the bank's fraud department” and spoke with “Agent Richard Parker, badge # GS7408”.

She told police this person had a strong accent. This person told him that fraudulent checks had been issued to pornographic sites. He also said there was an order of silence and she could not tell anyone about the incident, including her husband.

That's when he ordered the victim to withdraw money from his accounts to buy gold bars. He told her the gold bars would be delivered to her safe.

Throughout the investigation, detectives worked closely with the victim, gathering information and building a case against the suspects. When the two suspects arrived to collect the gold bars, detectives from the Financial Crimes Unit and the IMPACT Team arrested them.

The suspects were identified as Anil Kumar Dhiman, 34, and Punit Punit, 30. The charges include theft and crimes against people at risk. Their bond was set at $10,000 each.

“No one can come into Douglas County, prey on our elderly residents, steal their savings and get away with it. The lead detective, in this case, is sharp and laser focused on removing these suspects from the street in order to protect our most vulnerable residents,” Douglas County Sheriff Darren Weekly said in a statement.