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

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

Anil Dhiman, 35, and Punit Punit, 30, both Indian immigrants, were behind the fraud in which a caller identifying himself as an “agent” told the woman that her identity had been stolen and that someone was using her financial information to write fraudulent messages . checks on pornographic websites, This is evident from a press release from the 18th Judicial District Office.

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

She was then instructed to hand over the precious metals to an “undercover agent” in the parking lot of a business in Castle Pines. After doing this, she continued to receive calls and messages telling her to buy more gold to restore her identity.

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