Cherish : US Woman Tricked into Spending £560k on £3 Jewellery by Indian Police

Shopkeepers in India have allegedly deceived an American woman into purchasing cheap gold-plated jewellery for a staggering Rs60m (£563,000; $718,000).

The woman, known as Cherish in a police complaint, made the purchase from a shop in Johri Bazar in the western Indian state of Rajasthan nearly two years ago. She was provided with a hallmark certificate at the time of purchase, confirming the purity of the ornament.

Discovery of Counterfeit Jewellery

Upon returning to the US and displaying the jewellery at an exhibition, the woman discovered that the jewellery was counterfeit and worth only Rs300 (£2.82; $4). Shocked by the revelation, she confronted the shopkeeper, Gaurav Soni, who has denied the allegations.

Following the incident, the woman reported the fraud to the US embassy, leading to a police complaint against the jeweller and his father, Rajendra Soni.

Police Investigation and Arrest

Jaipur police’s deputy chief, Bajrang Singh Shekhawat, stated that tests on the jewellery revealed that the diamonds were actually moonstones, and the gold content was significantly lower than claimed.

While the accused jewellers alleged that the woman had fled with jewellery from their shop, CCTV footage proved otherwise. The police have arrested Nandkishore, who issued the fake hallmark certificate, while the main suspects remain at large.

Ongoing Investigation

Special teams have been formed by the police to track down the accused jewellers, who are currently on the run. Additionally, multiple complaints of fraud worth crores against Gaurav Soni and Rajendra Soni are under investigation.

Victim’s Testimony

Ms Cherish, who initially connected with the Sonis on Instagram in 2022, revealed that she and other designers have been victims of systematic fraud by the jewellers.

She claimed, “They have been shipping me nine-carat and gold plates instead of 14-carat. They have been shipping me entirely moonstone instead of natural diamond. It’s not just me, it’s about 10 other designers who are impacted by him and his fraud. He included fake certificates. Just nothing is real.”