Iridium scam: 3 arrested for duping many in TN, Kerala

The Taminadu police yesterday arrested a gang of three men for allegedly duping several people in the State and the neighbouring State Kerala by selling ordinary pots by falsely claiming they contained iridium, which is a rare metal.

The officials also seized Rs 14.25 lakh worth jewellery from the gang members, who were originally involved in robbery and dacoity. According to media reports, they had duped many people by decamping with the money without delivering the pots. They would show a pot to prospective buyers claiming it has iridium. A motor, concealed in the pot, will be activated using a secret button to create a vibration, this they cited as a special quality of the metal.

When a history-sheeter Alwin Prabhu was detained by the police on Tuesday, he revealed his connection with the gang. The amount involved in the racket was under investigation.