Two Indian men were seen in police custody in Ohio in connection with a massive gold scam.
In March of this year, the Westlake Police Department in Ohio conducted an undercover operation after a 78-year-old woman became the victim of a gold scam, arresting two suspects who were working as couriers.
At the time, they were referred to as two men from Pennsylvania, but now, after footage from the day of the arrest was released, they have been identified as Manan Shah and Ankit Gupta.
An elaborate scam that has been going on for several months
The scam began around August 2025 when the victim, the elderly woman, saw a pop-up on her home computer claiming his system had been hacked and had been provided with a number from an FBI agent. Without any suspicion, the woman called the number and was told a detailed story involving cyberattacks, hacked accounts, international investigations and even the death of a secret agent.
The woman later said she honestly believed she was speaking to an FBI agent and they advised her to withdraw the money and buy gold “for safekeeping” by the government.
Although this process has now become a well-known scam in the United States, the woman said she felt afraid that her family would be affected and her accounts would be frozen.Couriers (posing as federal agents) repeatedly picked up gold from her home in Westlake. She lost nearly $200,000 in real gold before the police got involved.
In March 2026, the woman reported the scam when the gold store became curious, and the woman was also told that she had to donate 80% of the capital from her 401(K) account.Investigators seized her communications/electronics, and arranged another scheduled gold pickup using imitation/counterfeit gold, forged receipts, and photos to maintain the illusion. Drones were deployed to track the couriers’ vehicle, and two men were arrested without incident.In the interrogation video, the names of the couriers were revealed as Manan Shah and Ankit Gupta. They said they knew nothing about the scam and were just sent to pick up the package.
