6 of family booked for defrauding jeweller

Tribune News Service

Mohali, April 17

The local police today claimed to have booked six members of a Panchkula-based family for defrauding a city-based jeweller of Rs 22.82 crore on the pretext of organising an exhibition of diamonds and gold jewellery and importing diamonds from Belgium at 25 per cent cheaper rates.

The suspects have been identified as Ashok Mittal, his wife Chetna Mittal, daughter Aditi Mitttal, son Arpit Mittal, brother Vinod Mittal and his wife Raj Rani Mittal.

Vikas Walia, a resident of Kharar, in his complaint to the police, stated that in 2013-14, the suspects told us that they were into the business of importing diamonds from Belgium and they could help him in providing diamonds from Belgium at 25 per cent cheaper rates from the market.

He said the suspects also told him that that their daughter, who organises exhibitions of diamonds and gold jewelleries in big cities, could help him by selling diamonds and gold jewelleries.

Walia further stated that he had given the stock of diamonds and gold jewellery worth about Rs 9 crore for exhibitions to the suspects. He also paid them over Rs 13 crore. However, the suspects neither returned his stock of diamonds and gold jewelleries nor provided him diamonds from Belgium. They also did not return their money after selling the diamonds.

After receiving the complaint, the police have registered a case under Sections 406 (Punishment for criminal breach of trust), 420 (Cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), 120-b (Punishment of criminal conspiracy) and 506 (Punishment for criminal intimidation) of the IPC. The police have started investigations into the case. However, no arrests have been made in the case so far.