Salesman flees with gold worth

Mumbai: The police have booked a 49-year-old salesman who fled with 1,800 grams of gold jewellery valued at ₹1.14 crore from a Kalbadevi-based jeweller. The police said the jewellery was given to him to be sold in Nagpur and Gondia. The accused, identified as Hasmukh Jayantilal Shah, 49, is a resident of Bhayandar, and was working as a salesman for the past two years.
The investigators said they were approached by Ashish Jain, 44, a resident of Andheri who runs a jewellery store called Unnati in Kalbadevi in south Mumbai. “The businessman gets the jewellery made from West Bengal-based workers settled in Mumbai and sells it at his store at wholesale rates. He also supplies jewellery to stores in Nagpur, Gondia, Balaghat, and Amgaon, which are areas of the Vidarbha region,” said the police officer.
“Earlier, he was working with some other jeweller, however, he lost his job and then started his own business. However, as Jain also started feeling unwell and it was not possible for him to travel to sell and supply the jewellery,” he hired Shah as a salesman,” said a police officer.
On 16 July, Shah took 1,782 grams of gold jewellery from the store to sell the same in Nagpur and Gondia areas. The jewellery contained pendant, tops, rings and chains valued at ₹1.14 crore. “He stopped answering calls from the owner on 16/17 July, after which the complainant travelled to Nagpur. After reaching Nagpur on 18 July, Shah told Jain that his phone had some problem and therefore he was unable to answer calls and he was in Nagpur, selling jewellery,” said the police officer.
When the complainant told him that he was also in Gondia they decided to meet. “However, again Shah stopped answering his calls and when Jain checked with the Nagpur-based jewellers, he came to know that Shah had not gone to any of them. The complainant, therefore, approached us and we have registered the case,” said the police officer from LT Marg police station.
“We have registered a case under sections 316 (4) (criminal breach of trust) and 318 (4) (cheating) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023,” said a police officer.