Fisherfolk duped of cash, jewellery

The RCF police have launched a manhunt for a jeweller who duped a large number of fishermen of a massive sum amounting to Rs 2 crore. Police said that around 90 members of the fishermen community in Mahul village, Chembur had given their money and gold or naments to the jeweller as he was giving them good retur ns. The victims realised they were dupted only after they found the shop closed and the jeweller unreachable.

According to the RCF police, the accused identified as Uttamkumar Malla alias Rajubhai Sonar, was operating in Mahul Village since 2008 and would sell gold at a very low price to the residents of Mahul, most of them men and women of the fishermen community. In the past five years, Malla ear ned trust among fishermen and locals who started buying jewellery from him, police said.

“Needy people would also mortgage or sell their gold ornaments to him, as they always got a good deal”, said an officer from RCF.

In the last one week, Malla collected jewellery from fishermen and women going door to door, saying that he was collecting several samples so that he could show it to some of his new clients. Many of the complainants had already given him some jewellery to modify while some of them had given cash to buy new jewellery. On Sunday, residents of Mahul realised that they were cheated after they were not able reach Malla by any means, also his shop was found to be closed.

Within a few minutes of the news of disappearance of Malla spread throughout the village and people gathered at the police station one by one. By evening, the police had 90 such complainants after which the police registered a case of criminal breach of trust and cheating under Sections 406 and 420 of the Indian Penal Code.

The police officer probing the matter added that Malla was last seen at around 4 am on Sunday before he disappeared after which his cell phone was also switched off.

The police have sent a team to his native West Bengal. Besides, his friends and acquaintances are being quizzed to gain a clue about his whereabouts.