A woman from the US was scammed into purchasing artificial jewelry valued at Rs300 for an exorbitant Rs6 crore by a shop owner in Rajasthan, according to the police.
The woman, named Cherish, bought the silver jewellery with gold polish from a shop in Jaipur’s Johri Bazaar.
In April, when the jewellery was displayed at an exhibition in the US, it was revealed to be fake. Cherish then travelled to India to confront the shop owner, Gaurav Soni, who denied her claims.
Subsequently, she lodged a police complaint in Jaipur and sought assistance from the US embassy, which has urged the Jaipur Police to investigate the case.
Cherish informed the police that she had connected with Gaurav Soni via Instagram in 2022 and had spent Rs6 crore on the fake jewellery over two years.
Police reported that both Gaurav and his father Rajendra Soni are currently evading capture. “Special teams have been formed to locate the two men,” said an official.
