Jaipur scam: US woman tricked into buying Rs 300 fake jewelry for Rs 6 crore

JAIPUR: A US woman was allegedly tricked into buying artificial jewellery worth Rs 300 for Rs 6 crore by a father-son duo in Jaipur, police said.
Rajendra Soni and his son Gaurav Soni, allegedly sold the woman silver chains polished to resemble gold and moissanite stones worth Rs 300 as expensive diamonds, complete with fake certificates, officials said.
Nand Kishore, the person responsible for creating the fake certificates, has been arrested, while the police have issued a lookout notice for the father-son duo, additional DCP Bajrang Singh said.
"The duo used the money to buy a Rs 3 crore flat in Jaipur," he said.
The incident came to light when Cherish Nortje, a US citizen, lodged a complaint at Manak Chowk police station on May 18.
Nortje had been purchasing gemstone jewellery from the jewellers since 2022 for her business in the US.
In April 2024, Nortje discovered that the jewellery was fake during a US exhibition. She returned to Jaipur in May to confront the jewellers, which led to an argument.
Following the confrontation, Rajendra and Gaurav filed a complaint against Nortje, alleging that she forcibly took jewellery from their shop.
However, CCTV footage showed Nortje leaving with the jewellery she had brought in.
The police verified the jewellery's inauthenticity through a second lab in Sitapura and arrested Nand Kishore, who admitted to creating the certificates based on the jewellers' instructions.
The primary accused, Rajendra and Gaurav, are still at large, and the police are actively searching for them.
Officials have stated that more complaints from other foreign traders are currently under investigation.