Mumbai:
The Amboli police arrested four people for duping diamond traders across the country worth crores of rupees.
The police said, the modus operandi was simple. Acting as businessmen, they would first zero in on a diamond seller; proposing to buy diamonds for export. Initially, they would purchase a small quantity and pay in cash immediately.
After gaining his trust, the accused would place an order for a large consignment. Then, they would give a small amount of the total bill as token money, assuring to pay the rest through cheques.
"The dealer would realise that he had been cheated only after the cheques would be dishonoured due to dead accounts," said a police officer.
The police said that when the victims would call the accused, they would keep promising that they would pay soon but instead sell the booty in black market and divide their shares.
The matter came to light when a diamond trading firm from Andheri lodged a complaint, alleging that the four accused have cheated them of over Rs 34 lakh. The police seized around Rs 25 lakh from them. Sources said that the rest of the booty has been sold to jewellers and that the accused have committed similar crimes in other states.
Copyright restricted. Under license from
www.3dsyndication.com