Coimbatore: The city police have arrested a BJP functionary for defrauding a jewellery store owner of 141 grams of gold on Friday.The arrested has been identified as V Manokaran, 36, of Kempatti Colony. He serves as the Ukkadam zonal president of the BJP youth wing and is a goldsmith by profession. For the past nine months, Manokaran had been regularly receiving gold bars from Narasimharaj, who runs a jewellery shop on Raja Street, to craft jewellery. On April 16, 2025, Narasimharaj handed over 141.180 grams of gold bullion to Manokaran.Despite the passage of several months, Manokaran failed to deliver the finished jewellery. When questioned, he repeatedly assured the jeweller that the ornaments would be ready within a few days. However, he eventually stopped responding and failed to return either the crafted jewellery or the original gold bullion. Realizing he had been defrauded, Narasimharaj filed a complaint at the Bazaar Street police station.Based on the complaint, police registered a case and launched an investigation. The probe confirmed that Manokaran had misappropriated the gold for his own gain. Following investigation, police arrested Manokaran. He has since been produced before the court and remanded in judicial custody.
