Today, Punit Punit, 30, and Anil Dhiman, 35, were each sentenced to 6 years in prison for stealing more than $200,000 from a woman in Castle Pines through an elaborate scam.
“I am very proud of our detectives, who dedicated countless hours to identifying and apprehending these suspects,” Sheriff Darren Weekly said. “We are pleased to see prison time imposed, and hopefully, this will send a strong message to anyone else who thinks about perpetrating a crime like this on Douglas County residents.”
On May 23rd, 2024, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office detectives arrested two suspects in a sting operation dubbed “Operation I Love Gold”. The 76-year-old victim played a pivotal role in helping detectives apprehend the two suspects.
Detectives were alerted to the case by the victim who reported she received a pop-up message on her iPad on March 12th of this year, which prevented her from using it. The message directed her to call a phone number. She called the number and was told that some of her identity and accounts had been compromised. She was told she was being forwarded to the “bank’s fraud department” and spoke with “agent Richard Parker, badge #GS7408”. This person had a heavy accent. He told the victim fraudulent checks had been written for pornography sites, and he said there was a gag order and she could not speak with anyone about the incident, including her husband. The man directed the victim to withdraw funds from her accounts to purchase gold bars. He told her the gold bars would be delivered to her safe deposit box.
Through the course of the investigation, detectives worked closely with the victim, gathering information, and building a case against the suspects. When the two suspects arrived to pick up the gold bars, detectives from the Financial Crimes Unit and IMPACT team moved in and arrested them.
“Thanks to the relentless efforts of the district attorney, justice is not just a word, but a promise kept to the citizens we serve. I express my heartfelt gratitude for their unwavering dedication in this case,” said #DCSO Detective Eric Oppeau, who was the primary detective on this case.
As part of the plea agreement, both men were sentenced to 6 years in the Department of Corrections. After serving their sentences, both men will be deported back to India.
