US woman duped with fake gems worth ₹6 crore for two years by Jaipur jewellers
According to officials, the jeweller duo, identified as Rajendra Soni and Gaurav Soni, allegedly polished silver chains to look like gold
A jeweller and his son from Jaipur are absconding after allegedly duping a US-based woman of ₹6 crore by selling fake jewellery over the last two years, the police said.
According to officials, the jeweller duo, identified as Rajendra Soni and Gaurav Soni, allegedly polished silver chains to look like gold and also sold ₹300-worth moissanite stones as expensive diamonds, attaching fake certificates.
The incident came to the fore when the woman, identified as Cherish Nortje, filed a complaint against the two on May 18, the police said, adding that both the accused are on the run.
“She has been buying jewellery from Soni’s gems shop since 2022. However, the fraud came to light during an exhibition in the US last April where her jewellery was rejected as fake. The woman returned to Jaipur this May to confront the jewellers, leading to a heated argument,” Manak Chowk station house officer Gurbhupendra Singh said.
Following the argument, all of them also arrived at the police station to resolve the matter. “The woman demanded her fake jewellery be replaced and alleged that there were also irregularities in the carat and quantities of many other assets she bought from them. The duo denied the allegations and said that it was Nortje who forcibly took the jewellery from their shop. However, CCTV footage showed Nortje leaving with the jewellery she had brought in,” the SHO said.
There was also another meeting between them at the Manak Chowk police station after Nrotje filed the FIR on May 18. “After both the meetings failed, the duo went absconding,” Singh said.
A case has been registered under section 420 (fraud) of the Indian Penal Code against Rajendra and Gaurav.
The police confirmed through a lab test in Sitapura that the jewellery was fake and arrested Nand Kishore, who confessed to making the fake certificates based on the jewellers’ instructions.
“We arrested Kishore on May 19 for making fake certificates in exchange for money. A lookout notice has also been issued against Rajendra and Gaurav. Further investigation is underway,” the SHO added.
