Accused told philatelist he wanted to buy stamps as an investment; walked away with them

A youth, posing as a buyer, conned a noted philatelist-cum-dealer of stamps worth Rs 6 lakh recently.
The accused approached 65-year-old Manmohan Singh, a resident of Vannarpet in Viveknagar, on February 4, and told him that he wanted to buy the stamps, worth Rs 6 lakh, on behalf of his father.


Gullible employer: Manmohan Singh was also duped by a girl of
u00a0Rs 3 lakh, six months ago. He had hired her as an assistant.

The stolen goods contain book stamps in mint condition, dating from 1957-2010 (three sets) worth at
Rs 2.1 lakh; miniature stamps album; and 300 sheets of rare stamps, besides stamps purchased from the GPO worth Rs 23,000.

"Only clue left behind is his mobile number which now says it has been switched off", said Singh's assistant Zubiya. "The police traced the address based on the number, which led them to a fake address in Chintamani," she said.

First contact
On January 31, the youth called Singh's mobile and asked his shop address. Singh gave him Zubiya's phone number as he was in Hyderabad. The youth called Zubiya took the address and came to the shop in about half an hour.u00a0

"He had come along with another person of same age.u00a0 When he asked for mint stamps, I told him that I couldn't give them to him without sir's permission. Then he asked for actress Madhubala's stamp and stamps published in that year. Finally he purchased a catalogue after getting money from the ATM and left saying that he would come back in a few days," said Zubiya.

"However, he came a day after he said he would, after enquiring, and asking me several times when I will be leaving. He wanted me to stay on as it would be easier to interact with Singh, who has speech impairment", she said.

... and they are gone
But Zubiya left after a while, and the duo made away with the stamps, when Singh was not looking. After realising the stamps were gone, Singh approached Viveknagar police station and narrated the incident. Police Inspector H K Mahanand said, "A cheating case has been filed and investigations are on."

Not the first time
This is not the first time he was robbed. Six months ago, he had hired a girl as an assistant, who won his confidence by learning quickly. Singh trusted her so much that he left the shop under her charge as he had to go to Coimbatore to attend a stamp exhibition.

Taking advantage of this, the girl made away with whatever she liked in his absence. When Singh, returned he didn't notice the theft, as the girl had taken few sheets in each bundle, worth about Rs 3 lakh.u00a0"The only clue she left behind was her CV which contained a false address mentioning Adugodi 7th cross," said Singh. "I had not complained to the police in this regard."