He’s currently being held without bond.
Gaithersburg, Md (KM) An Owings Mills man was arrested on Wednesday in connection with a gold bar scam. Montgomery County Police took Vipul J. Thakkar, 52, into custody. He’s currently being held at the Central Processing Unit without bond.
Authorities say they were contacted earlier this month by a 74-year-old Bethesda man who said he was scammed for more than $1 million.. He said he received an e-mail stating that a suspicious deposit had been made into his bank account, and was told to convert his assets into gold bars.
The victim told detectives that between March, 2024 and June, 2024, he purchased more than $1.1 million in gold bars, and arranged to have the gold picked up by the suspect’s associate. After making a final purchase of over $240,000 in gold bars, the victim said he saw a news report about a woman was scammed out of $1 million in a similar way The victim then contacted police.
Police say Thakkar was arrested after showing up at the victim’s home for a pickup. After taking the gold, Thakkar got into a car and drove away. Police officers were nearby and took him into custody.
Thakkar is charged with multiple counts of attempted theft.
By Kevin McManus