Mumbai: The Juhu police have registered an FIR against three persons and their company, RDV Export, for allegedly cheating a diamond merchant of Rs 2 crore.
The complainant, Darshan Shah, 48, a diamond and garment trader from Andheri West, had entered into a deal with the accused – Chirag Kothari, Nimish Kothari, and Parvez Mansuri – to purchase five carats (60 solitaires) of diamonds. Shah transferred the agreed amount, but the accused neither delivered the diamonds nor refunded the money. The FIR was registered on April 17.
As per the complaint, Shah was introduced to the Kotharis by his friend Pravin Patel, who described them as reputable diamond merchants operating under RDV Export Properties in the Diamond Market.
In May 2024, Shah met with the Kotharis to discuss business and subsequently purchased diamonds from them. The initial transaction was successful, which helped establish trust.
In March this year, Shah contacted the Kotharis again, this time to buy diamonds for his wife and daughter. They quoted a price of Rs 2 crore for the five-carat lot, which Shah agreed to. He transferred the amount from his HDFC Bank account in multiple transactions – partly to RDV Export Properties’ ICICI Bank account and partly to Parvez Mansuri’s account, based on instructions from Chirag Kothari.
On April 17, after completing the transfers, Shah was assured by Chirag that the diamonds would be delivered by 5pm the next day. However, by 7pm, the delivery had not been made, and repeated calls to the Kotharis went unanswered.
Shah then lodged a complaint against the trio and RDV Export. A case was registered under Sections 3(5) (general explanation), 316(5) (criminal breach of trust), and 318(4) (cheating) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
