With the diamond industry facing a financial crisis due to lack of procurement in western countries, frequent cases of fraud have raised concerns in the industry. Sometime back the State Home Minister Harsh Sanghvi had also addressed the diamond market traders of Mahidharpura and advised the traders to be careful and do business through cheques. At present, when increasing cases of fraud have created an atmosphere of mistrust in the diamond market, another case of fraud has come to the fore.
A diamond broker of a diamond firm named Balaram Impex in Surat’s Mahidharpura took 941.96 carats of natural diamonds worth Rs 1.09 crore to sell to other traders. And later switched off the mobile and went somewhere. Police have registered a complaint against the broker and are probing whether other traders have also been victimised.
According to the information received from Mahidharpura police, 47-year-old Pravinbhai Mavjibhai Goti, who lives in Rosco building at Vedrod Dabholi intersection, Mahidharpura Dalgia Street, has a firm by the name of Balaram Impex, next to Nidhi Safe. A diamond broker Alpesh Vallabh Miyani (Residence, Vijayraj Society Singanapur) near Pravinbhai assured him that he had demand from other traders to sell diamond goods at a good price.
Between March 27 and April 12 last, he signed the paper and took 941.96 carats of natural rough diamonds worth Rs 1,09,40,735 from the trader to show to another trader. Even after many days neither the diamond nor the payment came, Pravinbhai called and asked about the diamond. In response to which diamond broker Alpesh Miyani initially said that the diamond is sealed and safe.
After that no satisfactory answer was given to him. So on being suspicious, he was called to the office to meet. But Alpesh did not come to meet him in the office and later switched off his mobile and ran away. That’s why a complaint has been lodged at Mahidharpura police station.
