Man Accused of Switching $40,000 Diamonds for Tobacco
May 08, 23
(IDEX Online) - A man has been arrested in Surat, accused of defrauding a diamond trader by swapping polished stones worth almost $40,000 with packets of chewing tobacco.
Raheel Manjani, a diamond broker, allegedly obtained the diamonds to sell to another trader, promising to make full payment for the sealed parcels within a few days, according to the Times of India.
He didn't pay, says a complaint filed to police by trader Rushabh Vora, who then asked for the parcels to be returned.
He unsealed the parcels in front of the broker, and was shocked to find the stones had been replaced with gukta, a flavored chewing tobacco. He faces charges of cheating and criminal breach of trust.
Generic pic of loose diamonds