2 held for selling fake Swiss-branded gold coins to jeweller for ₹2.30 cr

According to the police, the two accused sold Soni fake gold coins embossed with the brand of Valcambi, a precious metals refining company located in Balerna, Switzerland

MUMBAI: The Dongri police have booked two men for duping a 48-year-old jeweller of ₹2.30 crore by selling him fake gold coins that appeared to be manufactured by a Swiss company.

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The arrested accused were identified as Abdul Mussa, 51, and Pamesh Khemavat, 59. They were booked based on a complaint filed by Narendra Soni, 48, who runs Soni Ladhubhai & Son’s Jewellers near Habib Hospital in Dongri.

According to the police, the two accused sold Soni fake gold coins embossed with the brand of Valcambi, a precious metals refining company located in Balerna, Switzerland. The coins were also wrapped in fancy packaging that made the jeweller believe they were authentic.

“They met the jeweller on April 12 and told him they had 25 gold coins weighing 100 grams each from Valcambi. They wanted to sell the coins and took ₹2.30 crore from the jeweller,” said a police officer from the Dongri police station. Later, when Soni examined the coins for purity, he realised that they weren’t made of gold.

“He approached us, and we registered a case under sections 316 (criminal breach of trust) and 318 (cheating) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023,” said the police officer.

“We learnt the accused were coming to cheat one more jeweller similarly and picked up both of them. We have recovered ₹2 lakh from Khemavat,” added the police officer.

The two arrested accused were produced in court, which remanded them in police custody for six days, according to the police.