Couple along with jewellery shop owner cheats on other jewellers

In a case which bears a resemblance to scenes from the popular Bollywood movie "Bunty Aur Babli", a couple aided by a jewellery store owner, posed as customers in several jewellery shops and defrauded several jewellers of Rs 1.74 crore.

Surat(Gujarat): In a shocking turn of events, a couple along with a jewellery store owner, posed as customers in several jewellery shops that left 12 jewellers in Surat reeling from a financial loss worth Rs 1.74 crore, police said on Thursday.

"The accused owner of the jewellery shop has been identified as Rohit Shah. He, along with the couple, managed to defraud not just one, but a total of 12 jewellers, causing a collective financial loss of 1.74 crore rupees. Preliminary investigations indicate that the repercussions of this fraud may extend further than initially thought," a police official said.

The incident unfolded when a complaint was lodged at the Chowk Bazar Police Station recently, highlighting the fraudulent activities of the couple and their connection with Rohit Shah. The accused couple executed their plan by placing orders for various gold sets, by posing as genuine customers. Paras Shah, one of the victims and owner of a jewellery shop, received an order from Rohit, for a long gold set and a smaller set on June 26, 2023. During a subsequent visit to Rohit Shah's shop to discuss payment terms, Paras met the accused couple who posed as customers.

Rohit convinced Paras to sell the gold set to the couple. Falling for the plot, Paras sold the gold set which recorded a staggering 104,850 grams. The couple reassured Paras of payment within three days. Later Rohit called Paras for two more deals, with the couple repeatedly showing up as customers. Every time the couple delayed the date of payments under the name of Rohit, as he possessed a close relationship with Paras.

However, the swindle reached its climax on July 29, 2023, when Rohit Shah absconded after locking his jewellery shop. Paras immediately went to the police station and the police filed a FIR under relevant sections of IPC. After the initial investigation, the police reached the conclusion that the couple along with Rohit not only cheated Paras but had also defrauded 12 jewellers.