More than 50 investors of Goodwin Jewellers, whose owners have been accused of cheating and criminal breach of trust, on Sunday took out a protest march from the Dombivli branch of the chain to Ramnagar police station. Twenty-five more complaints were filed against Goodwin Jewellers on Sunday, and police said they are in the process of registering around 300 more.
On Saturday, 29 customers filed a complaint at Ramnagar police station, alleging they have lost investments worth ₹1.80 crore. The FIR names M Suneel Kumar, chairman of Goodwin Group; managing director, M Sudheer Kumar; and Manish Kundi, manager of the Dombivli branch of Goodwin Jewellers as the accused. The accused are on the run, said Suresh Aher, senior inspector, Ramnagar police station.
Till Sunday, police registered 54 complaints, involving investments adding up to ₹2.93 crore. “The complaint filing process will continue for another three days as we have more than 300 complainants apart from the ones that have been registered. We visited the owners’ residence, but the house was locked. Both the owners are absconding since October 21. We inquired about their family members as well and have alerted the government railway police and police control room to keep an eye out for them. We will also try to trace their cellular location and get more details,” said Aher.
Goodwin Jewellery Group has 12 branches in Thane, Navi Mumbai, Mumbai and Kerala, many of which are now shut.
{{/usCountry}}Goodwin Jewellery Group has 12 branches in Thane, Navi Mumbai, Mumbai and Kerala, many of which are now shut.
{{/usCountry}}On Sunday itself, Ramnagar police station registered complaints of 25 investors, who claimed they had lost investments ranging between ₹13 lakh and ₹1 crore. “After we booked the owners, there has been a continuous influx of complainants. We have kept aside one officer to only take complaints of this case. We had to send many complainants back as it was impossible to register all in one day. We shall call them in different time slots over the next few days,” said N V Jadhav, inspector (crime), Ramnagar police station.
“We have invested huge amounts of money with a lot of hope. We are sticking together and filing complaints as per the law. I have invested around ₹9.81 lakh looking at the lucrative schemes and offers that Goodwin provided. Their good returns were what drove many like me towards their ponzi schemes,” said Sanjay Biswas, 44, who was among the first investors to file a complaint.
Meanwhile, the Goodwin Jewellers stores in Thane and Vashi remained shut, though investors gathered outside them. However, no complaints were filed in these areas. “We have called those willing to file a complaint to the police station on Monday morning. We have assured them of help. A few people did walk in with complaints on Sunday evening. But we have not filed any complaint as of now,” said an officer from APMC police station in Vashi.