Diamond traders duped of Rs 5.4 crore in Moscow, Mumbai police register FIR

MUMBAI: Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) police on Tuesday registered a first information report (FIR) against a diamond merchant, his partner and three accomplices for allegedly conning two traders by pretending to offer them raw diamonds at reduced prices in

Moscow

,

Russia

, and then threatening the duo with fake arrest to knock off Rs 5.4 crore.


Akash Shah, the alleged mastermind, reportedly took the two traders-Ramesh Gami from Mumbai and one Himmat from Ahmedabad-to Moscow on August 15. The next day, allegedly with the help of locals who impersonated as police officials, their passports were "seized" and a demand for Rs 5.4 crore made for "releasing" the documents. The two were told that if they failed to pay up the sum, they would either be killed in an encounter or sent to a Moscow jail.

The accused have gone into hiding and their offices at the BKC diamond bourse are shut.

"Gami said he and Himmat agreed to meet the demands because they were told they had no option. The fake cops told the victims to call their employees and ask them to pay the amount at the mastermind's BKC office. The duo was then given flight tickets and dropped at the airport. The fake cops said they would release Shah later after making inquiries," said a BKC police officer.

Gami and Himmat reached Delhi on August 17. Himmat first went to Ahmedabad and then flew to Mumbai the same day and created a hue and cry at Shah's BKC office in the diamond bourse. "This made Shah's father repay Himmat Rs 2.9 crore and assure him that the balance would be repaid soon. Realized that he had been duped, Gami registered an FIR against Akash Shah, his partner Sanket Shah and three unknown persons," said the officer.

Gami is into the business of buying raw diamonds which he polishes and sells. He has an office in Dahisar while his partner's is in BKC. In his complaint, Gami said, "I came across Akash who assured me of procuring raw Russian diamonds at a reduced rate. On May 14, Akash and I went to Moscow for the first time where he promised to show me raw diamonds but the deal did not materialize. We revisited Moscow on July 27, where a person showed me raw diamonds and Shah said I would have to pay Rs 1.6 crore then and the diamonds would be delivered 15 days later. I agreed and asked my partner to give polished diamond worth Rs 1.1 crore and another Rs 50 lakh to Shah's staffer at his BKC office as payment. The next day we returned to Mumbai."

When Gami did not receive the diamonds, he checked with Shah who said they would have to fly to Moscow again on August 15 for delivery update. "Gami agreed and left for Moscow with Himmat. Gami said on reaching Moscow, Shah placed them in different row houses. It is then that 15 fake policemen barged into their rooms and seized their passports and threatened them. Gami was told to pay Rs 35 lakh and Himmat $2 million (around Rs 14 crore), which was later reduced to Rs 5 crore. Himmat got suspicious but asked his employees to pay Rs 5 crore and told them to click photos while handing over the sum to Shah's alleged accomplice Sanket Shah.

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