Nagpur: A fraudster tricked Dass Jewelers, a well-known jewelry store in Shankar Nagar, out of ₹1.06 crore by first gaining their trust through genuine purchases before taking a large quantity of gold on credit and defaulting on payments. The Ambazari police have registered a case, and reports suggest that the accused has used similar tactics to cheat multiple people.
The complainant, Avish Ashok Vastani (36), resides in Shivaji Nagar and runs Dass Jewelers along with his uncle Chandrakant Vastani and cousins Chetan and Ojas Vastani. The accused, identified as Rahul Kumar Nareshchandra Khabia alias Jain, a resident of Nalawade Layout near Padole Hospital, first visited the store on October 13, 2024. He purchased gold worth ₹6.80 lakh and paid in cash. The next day, he returned and bought jewelry worth ₹7.85 lakh, paying ₹5.07 lakh upfront and promising to pay the remaining amount soon.
Gold Rate
18 April 2025
Between October and November 2024, Khabia visited the store nearly 20 times, buying gold and making payments either online or through post-dated cheques, which led the store owners to trust him. Over time, he purchased gold worth ₹1.07 crore on credit, repeatedly assuring that he would clear the dues soon. However, whenever the store owners brought up the pending payments, he would change the topic.
On December 26, Khabia visited the store with a police acquaintance and bought a 50-gram gold coin, issuing a cheque worth ₹2.44 lakh. However, when Chandrakant Vastani deposited the cheque, it bounced. Upon calling Khabia, he was warned not to deposit the cheque before January or risk losing all his money. In February, the store owners deposited another cheque worth ₹1 crore, which also bounced. When confronted, Khabia allegedly threatened them, saying, “If you keep pursuing me, you won’t get a single rupee. Do whatever you want.”
The Ambazari police have launched an investigation into the fraud, and efforts are underway to apprehend the accused.
