Singer dupes jeweller, buys ₹5.41L diamond bracelet with bogus cheque

Singer Vipul Chheda, 36, was arrested for cheating a marketing executive out of a ₹5.41 lakh diamond bracelet after issuing a bounced cheque.

MUMBAI: A 36-year-old singer, Vipul Chheda, was arrested for allegedly cheating a marketing executive of a diamond bracelet worth ₹5.41 lakh. The arrest, made on Wednesday by Malad police, comes after Chheda was on the run for nearly a month.

Singer dupes jeweller, buys ₹5.41L diamond bracelet with bogus cheque

Chheda, known locally for performing at community functions and events, allegedly duped Rima Mehul Chheda, a 32-year-old Kandivali resident who works as a marketing professional with Sai Siddhi Jewellers in Borivali. As part of her job, Rima would recommend jewellery to clients and earn a commission on sales.

According to the police, Chheda had often expressed interest in purchasing jewellery through her. On April 22, he contacted her claiming he wanted to buy a diamond bracelet. When they met, Rima showed him two bracelets and three rings. Chheda picked one bracelet worth ₹5.41 lakh.

Instead of making the payment via bank transfer, he issued a cheque, saying online payment was not working. But the cheque bounced when presented at the bank.

Despite repeated reminders from Rima, Chheda neither returned the bracelet nor cleared the dues. “When she confronted him, he kept assuring her that he would pay up, but the excuses continued. That’s when she realised she had been conned,” said a police officer.

Rima then approached Malad police, who registered a case. “The accused absconded soon after the FIR was filed and remained untraceable for about a month. He was finally tracked down and arrested. During questioning, he admitted to misappropriating the bracelet,” said senior police inspector Dushyant Chavan.

Chheda was produced before a magistrate court in Borivali on Wednesday and remanded to two days’ police custody.