The Navghar police are on the lookout of a Pune-based couple (Bunty-Babli) who duped a jeweller in Bhayandar of more than Rs. 63 lakh. According to the police, the complainant-Deepak Jain runs a jewellery showroom in Bhayandar (east) and operates a wholesale business of trading in gold chains from his office in Marine Lines, Mumbai.
In response to an advertisement posted by Jain on Facebook regarding availability of gold chains on 4, November 2023, a person identified as-Vinod Ramesh Kulkarni contacted him showing interest in purchasing the inventory for his jewellery store run by him and his wife-Ashwini Kuklarni in the Loni Kalbhor area of Pune.
Fraudulent Purchase And Unfulfilled Payment Promises
A few days later, Vinod arrived at Jain’s shop in Bhayandar and purchased 17 gold chains worth Rs. 5 lakh. In an apparent bid to win Jain’s trust he paid the entire amount and continued striking smaller deals by making on-time payments. In January 2024, Vinod claimed to have received a bulk order of gold chains. To verify Kulkarni’s credentials, Jain paid a visit to his shop in Pune and met the couple.
On 3, February, Vinod came to Jains shop in Bhayandar and purchased gold chains worth Rs.63.45 lakh with a promise of making the payments in a couple of days. Since Vinod had kept his word in earlier deals, Jain agreed and handed over the chains. However, Vinod and his wife failed to clear the dues and started killing time on one pretext or the other, prompting Jain to send his cousin brother-Priyank Parmar to their shop in Pune.
Investigation And Legal Action Against Fraudulent Couple
While Vinod was not available at the shop, his wife said that Vinod had gone to Andhra Pradesh while assuring that the payment will be cleared within a week. However, the couple started avoiding his calls. Jain once again sent his cousin to Pune on 21, February.
This time the shop was closed. After enquiring in the neighbourhood, Parmar was shocked to learn that the couple had duped several people in a similar manner. Jain then approached the Navghar police station where an offence under section 406 (criminal breach of trust) and 420 (cheating) of the IPC was registered against the couple on Friday. While the couple is yet to be arrested, the Navghar police are conducting further investigations into the case.
