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Birju Salla, notorious for Jet Airways bomb hoax, held for ₹12.77 crore jewellery fraud
While Salla returned some items, he allegedly dodged payment for the rest, citing excuses and even directing Jain to contact his relatives, who were unresponsive. When Jain failed to trace him, Salla’s father claimed his son had left home and filed a non-cognisable complaint against Jain
MUMBAI: The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Mumbai Police has arrested 45-year-old businessman Birju Salla for allegedly cheating a jeweller of gold, silver and diamonds worth ₹12.77 crore. He was previously convicted and later acquitted in a high-profile Jet Airways bomb scare case.
Salla was picked up from a five-star hotel in Ahmedabad with help from the local police. According to investigators, he had changed his name and avoided using mobile phones to evade arrest. He was remanded to police custody for two days by a Mumbai court.
In November 2024, Salla approached jeweller Shailesh Jain, 56, under the pretext of having a customer for antique jewellery. Jain, who knew Salla and his family from previous business dealings, handed over gold, silver and diamonds valued at nearly ₹14 crore under “approval vouchers” — a common industry practice where payment is made for items sold and the rest are returned.
While Salla returned some items, he allegedly dodged payment for the rest, citing excuses and even directing Jain to contact his relatives, who were unresponsive. When Jain failed to trace him, Salla’s father claimed his son had left home and filed a non-cognisable complaint against Jain.
Salla made national headlines in 2017 after placing a fake hijack threat note on a Jet Airways flight. He became the first person convicted under the Anti-Hijacking Act, 2016, and was sentenced to life imprisonment by a special NIA court. The Gujarat High Court overturned the conviction in August 2023.
He has now been booked under sections 316 (criminal breach of trust) and 318 (cheating) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
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