TOMPKINS COUNTY, N.Y. (WETM) – A man from Hiawatha, New Jersey, has been indicted on a theft charge after an investigation into a phone scam that led to the theft of $500,000 worth of gold bars from a Tompkins County resident.

Akash B. Thakkar, 41, was arrested on the charge of grand larceny in the second degree (class C felony), as stated in a release from the New York State Police.

Officials say Thakkar was charged with the crime after an investigation led by members of the State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation into a theft that resulted from a phone scam that occurred in Tompkins County in 2024. Officials say this investigation took over a year to complete.

Officials say Thakkar was involved in the theft of $250,000 in gold bars in June of 2024 and another $250,000 in gold ba

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