Case against dad for fake gold gift

Pure gold (99.9 purity)

KOCHI: When it comes to the bridal trousseau most Malayali women would like to insist that what glitters is indeed gold. With the yellow metal's price hovering at Rs 23,000-plus for eight grams, a father gifted his daughter 'rolled' gold for her wedding - with predictable results. 

Fathima Hussain Haji (19), who discovered she had been conned almost 10 months after her wedding, approached Perinthalmanna police station in Malappuram district with a complaint against her father, E P Husain, a Gulf-based businessman. She alleged that of the 30 gold sovereigns given by her father at the time of her marriage, 22 were found to be rolled gold. 

"A few months after my marriage, I realized that most of the sovereigns were not real gold. My husband asked me to ignore it, but I felt cheated and decided to approach the police," said Fathima, who got married on January 26, 2012. 

"My father is a rich man and I want to ensure that he replaces the 22 sovereigns of 'fake' gold with real gold. I don't expect anything more from him," Fathima fumed. 

However, the police are yet to register a case. Circle inspector of Perinthalmanna police station, Jaleel Thottathil, said, "We received a complaint from Fathima and called her father to the police station. As it was a matrimonial and civil dispute, we didn't register a case. Meanwhile, the local Jamaat members got involved and said that they would try to resolve the matter." 

Recently, Husain approached the Kerala high court complaining of harassment by Perinthalmanna police in the matter. 

However, the court disposed the petition after the government pleader submitted in court that Hussain was called to the police station after they received a complaint from his daughter. He also added that the police have not registered a crime. 

Meanwhile, Fathima claims that she is still waiting for her father to replace the fake gold with 22 carat gold. "I hope the community members can help resolve the matter," she said.