Senior citizen arrested for duping jeweller of ₹76 lakh

A senior citizen in Mumbai was arrested for stealing 124kg of silver raw materials worth ₹76 lakh from a jeweller by promising to return refined silver bricks.

Mumbai: A senior citizen was arrested for allegedly fleeing with 124 kilograms of silver raw materials worth ₹76 lakh from a Kalbadevi-based jeweller on the pretext of returning him refined silver bricks. The arrested accused has been identified as Ramesh Sati Kumar Soni, a resident of Mira Road.

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According to LT Marg police officials, the complainant, Makrand Parihar, 36, who lives in the Kalbadevi area along with his family, has been a trader and runs a silver shop called ‘Anushka Chain and Ornaments Private Limited’ for the last six years. Parihar used to buy silver raw materials from various businessmen and sent them to the V Gold and Silver Refinery Private Limited firm in the Kandivali area which is owned by Ramesh Sati Kumar Soni. Ramesh’s work is to refine the raw silver materials and once they become pure silver, they would be returned in bricks form to Parihar, said a police officer.

Parihar and Soni have been dealing in business for more than a year. On December 5, the accused visited Parihar’s shop in the Kalbadevi area and he gave 68 kg and 174 grams of pure silver to him for refining. The accused again visited his shop on December 7, and the victim gave 55 kilo 855 grams of pure silver to him for refinery, said a police officer. While handing over the silver, Parmar made an invoice of the deals and took Soni’s signature on it, said the officer.

The accused was supposed to return the pure silver bricks after refining them in two to three business days but he did not return them. Whenever the victim contacted him, he gave some excuses. Parmar later realised that he was duped and thus he approached the LT Marg police station and registered a case, added an officer.

The police sub-inspector Pradeep Bhitade was investigating the case and after analysing the technical aspects they got leads about the accused and traced him in the Borivali area on Saturday. He was brought to the police station and arrested in the case. He was produced in the court and remanded in custody till January 31, added officer.