STF Says Old-Coin Gang Tried to Frame Varanasi Victim in Wildlife Case

VARANASI — A fraud case that began with the promise of doubling money through “old coins” allegedly ended with an attempt to frame the victim as a wildlife trafficker, according to the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force.

Three men were arrested from Swastik Home Stay in Faridpur under Sarnath police station limits during a joint operation by the STF and Forest Department. Police identified them as Prabhat Chaturvedi of Shahdol in Madhya Pradesh, Girdhari Maurya of Campierganj in Gorakhpur and Sanjeev Kumar Singh of Munderwa in Basti.

The team allegedly recovered 14 monitor-lizard body parts, two objects described by police as tiger claws, ₹1.58 lakh, two fake forest-officer identity cards and four mobile phones. The species and authenticity of the wildlife items will require expert and forensic confirmation; the descriptions currently come from the police account.

HOW THE ALLEGED TRAP WORKED

The STF says the group first produced fake old coins and looked for people willing to believe that buying them would quickly double their money. Neeraj Kumar Maurya, a resident of Mohandas Pur in the Cholapur area, allegedly borrowed ₹5 lakh from an acquaintance and brought it to members of the group.

Police claim two men then fled with the cash. The next stage was more unusual: the group allegedly tipped off the STF and Forest Department about a wildlife deal so that Neeraj would be caught at the scene and blamed for the prohibited items.

The Wildlife Crime Control Bureau had provided information about Prabhat Chaturvedi, who was allegedly offering to help catch wildlife traffickers while also discussing the sale of monitor-lizard parts and tiger claws. An STF team led by Inspector Anil Kumar Singh began checking the information with forest officials.

Investigators found Prabhat near the Faridpur underpass and recovered the reported items from a room at the home stay following his information. Questioning then exposed inconsistencies and, according to the STF, the attempted frame-up.

WHAT POLICE ARE STILL INVESTIGATING

Authorities believe three other men — one from Ghazipur and two from Bihar — were part of the group and are searching for them. Sarnath Station House Officer Pankaj Tripathi said an FIR had been registered, the report added.

All of these are allegations. The arrested men have not been convicted, and Dalimss News has not independently reviewed the FIR, seizure memo or remand papers. The chain of custody for the alleged wildlife parts and the forensic result will be crucial if prosecutors pursue wildlife charges.

The case also carries a broader warning. “Rare coin” schemes often rely on urgency, secrecy and the promise of an impossible return. Anyone asked to bring cash for a private exchange should pause, verify the buyer or seller, avoid borrowing money for the deal and report pressure to meet at an isolated location.

In this case, police say financial fraud was paired with a plan to misuse law enforcement itself. Proving that claim will require more than a dramatic recovery: investigators must connect the money, fake IDs, phone communications and wildlife items to each accused person and show who designed the alleged trap.