Man cheats Gujarat trader by replacing diamonds worth Rs 32 lakh kept in parcels with gutka; held

Police arrested a man on Sunday for allegedly cheating a diamond trader in Gujarat's Surat city by replacing the precious stones worth Rs 32 lakh kept in parcels with gutka packets, an official said.

Trader Rushabh Vora in his police complaint said the accused, Raheel Manjani, worked as a diamond broker and took him into confidence to obtain polished, round and natural quality diamonds worth Rs 32,04,442 from his office under the pretext of selling them to another trader.

The broker collected the diamonds in three sealed parcels between February 13 and 21, 2023, and paid Rs 2 lakh to Vora as token money, the trader said in the complaint filed at Mahidharpara police station.

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Vora said the accused then told him that he will make the remaining payment in three-four days. When the payment was not made, Vora asked for his parcels and it was decided to open the three sealed parcels in front of the broker. However, Vora was shocked to find packets of gutka, a chewing tobacco, in the parcels in place of the diamonds, the complaint stated.

Vora alleged the broker took him into confidence and conspired with another diamond trader to cheat him by replacing the diamonds with gutka.

The accused was booked under Indian Penal Code Sections 420 (cheating) and 409 (criminal breach of trust). A probe was underway into the offence and to find out if other traders were involved in it, the police said.