KANPUR, Oct. 13 -- Police have busted an alleged racket in Kanpur in which jewellery made with gold mixed with brass was passed off as genuine gold using fake hallmark markings. A laser-cutting machine allegedly used to create the counterfeit marks has been seized. The racket came to light when a woman took a piece of jewellery to a shop in the Chowk Sarafa area under Pheelkhana police station to sell it. The shop manager examined the jewellery and alerted the police after finding that it contained brass and had a lower gold content than claimed. ACP Kotwali Amit Pandey said the investigation revealed that a man identified as Akshay Gupta had given the jewellery to the woman in exchange for Rs 40,000. Further inquiries led police to a jewellery shop in Chowk Sarafa, where ornaments containing less gold were allegedly marked with fake hallmarks to make them appear genuine. Police said the shop belonged to Dinesh Verma and that a laser-cutting machine was allegedly used to create the counterfeit markings. The machine has been seized and a case registered. Pandey said those allegedly involved had been identified and further investigation was under way. Police are probing the extent of the alleged fraud and how the jewellery was circulated....