Two arrested in Tashkent for attempting to sell metal bars disguised as pure gold for $70K

The operation was carried out by officers of the Department under the Prosecutor General’s Office for the Yunusabad district, in cooperation with the State Security Service. During the sting operation, two previously convicted individuals, H.U. and A.D., were apprehended while trying to sell the counterfeit gold.

Investigations revealed that H.U. and A.D., both with prior convictions for fraud and other crimes, had produced fake gold bars from base metal, colored them to resemble real gold, and marked them with “999.9” to imitate high-purity bullion. The total weight of the counterfeit bars was 2.06 kilograms.

The fraudsters had arranged to sell the bars to citizens M.S. and R.L. for a total of $70,000. They were caught red-handed as they received the first installment of $35,000.

A criminal case has been opened against the suspects under Articles 168 (Fraud) and 227 (Forgery, Destruction, Damage, or Concealment of Official Documents, Seals, Stamps, and State Registration Numbers) of the Criminal Code of Uzbekistan. An investigation is currently underway.