A jeweller and his son in Jaipur have been accused of defrauding a US woman out of Rs 6 crore by selling her counterfeit jewellery, police reported on Wednesday. According to officials, the accused, Rajendra Soni and Gaurav Soni, allegedly disguised silver chains as gold and passed off Rs 300 moissanite stones as high-value diamonds, complete with fake certificates.
Additional DCP Bajrang Singh stated that Nand Kishore, responsible for creating the fake certificates, has been arrested. Meanwhile, a lookout notice has been issued for the absconding jewellers.
“The duo used the cheated money to buy a Rs 3 crore flat in Jaipur,” he said.
The incident came to light when Cherish Nortje, a US citizen, filed a complaint at Manak Chowk police station on May 18. She had been purchasing gemstone jewellery from the jewellers for her business in the US since 2022. In April 2024, she discovered at a US exhibition that the jewellery was fake. Nortje traveled to Jaipur in May to confront the jewellers, leading to a dispute.
Following the confrontation, Rajendra and Gaurav filed a complaint against Nortje, alleging that she forcibly took jewellery from their shop. However, CCTV footage showed Nortje leaving with the jewellery she had brought in. The police confirmed the jewellery was fake through a second lab in Sitapura and arrested Nand Kishore, who admitted to producing the certificates on the jewellers’ instructions.
The main accused, Rajendra and Gaurav, remain at large, and police are actively searching for them. More complaints from other foreign traders are now under investigation, officials said.
