Mumbai, Dec 01: A 57-year-old businessman living in Marine Drive has lodged an FIR at L T Marg Police Station, alleging that four people cheated him of approximately ₹2.80 crore. The complainant, Shailesh Jain, owns a jewellery store named “J.K. Jewellers” in Kalbadevi.
Accused Introduced as ‘CMO Officer’
According to the FIR, in January 2024, a man named Birju Salla introduced Shailesh to Vaibhav Thakkar, claiming that Vaibhav was a Class-I officer working in the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO). A month later, Vaibhav visited the jewellery store and said he needed ₹20 lakh to stop his transfer.
Money Transferred Believing Official Influence
Trusting him, Shailesh transferred ₹20 lakh through bank to Vaibhav. Vaibhav later told Shailesh’s brother Sanjay that he could arrange a meeting with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde at Varsha Bungalow, promising business help.
Accused Arrives With Beacon-Fitted Vehicle
A few days later, Vaibhav arrived at Shailesh’s residence in an Innova with a yellow beacon light, making Shailesh believe that he was indeed a senior government officer.
Vaibhav claimed that he could help secure gold seized by the DRI at a 7% discount. When Shailesh agreed to buy 10 kg gold, Vaibhav allegedly took ₹1,15,22,400 into the bank account of his wife Priyanka Thakkar (Jain).
Visit to Varsha Bungalow; No Meeting Materialises
Vaibhav even took Sanjay once to Varsha Bungalow. After hours of waiting, he allegedly said, “CM Saheb is busy.” Vaibhav mentioned that his mother-in-law, Surekha Arvind Jain, ran a gold and diamond business in Lalbaug. He subsequently took diamond jewellery worth ₹1,44,84,103 from the jewellers.
Jewellery Seen on Instagram, Claims Complainant
Shailesh claims that Surekha even posted photos wearing the jewellery on Instagram, but the post was deleted after the FIR came to light. Vaibhav had assured that the 10 kg of gold would be delivered within 20 days, but later said that the DRI auction had been cancelled.
When the jewellers repeatedly demanded their money back, Vaibhav allegedly brought political figures into the matter, and Shailesh’s son was reportedly slapped.
Previous FIR and Counter-Complaint
The jewellers have already filed a separate FIR earlier against those political individuals, and a chargesheet has been filed in that case. Meanwhile, Vaibhav filed a counter-complaint against Shailesh in June 2024, following which the businessman was jailed for 47 days.
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Accused Named in New FIR
In the latest FIR, Shailesh has alleged that by posing as a CM Office officer, Vaibhav Thakkar, along with his wife Priyanka, mother-in-law Surekha, and middleman Birju Salla, collectively cheated him of nearly ₹2.80 crore.
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