Two Held For Selling Fake Diamond For Rs 1.2 Crores

Based on a tip-off, sleuths of the Commissioner's Task Force Central Zone nabbed two fraudsters today for selling a fake diamond to one Shaik Haji, alias Ilias, of Sanathnagar.

The officers also seized Rs 1.15 crores in cash, along with the duplicate diamond, a diamond selector II Testing machine, a table diamond selector light, a Canon jewelry loupes 18mm lens, a diamond clipper, aq crown gem cleaner and two cell phones from the possession of the accused.

According to the complainant, the accused Mohd Ather Siddique, alias Ather, of Asifnagar, and Mohd Salam Khan of BHEL, Ramachandrapuram, both traders in pearls and rubies, had approached him saying that they had an original 25 carat diamond worth Rs 4 crores that they were looking to sell. Trusting the duo, Haji purchased the "diamond" by paying them Rs 1.2 crores on January 18.

When the complainant got the diamond tested on January 25, however, he was shocked to learn that it was a moissanite stone (moissanites being the stones that are used in shirt/coat buttons) and hence a fake.

Realizing that he had been cheated, he then lodged a complaint with the Abids police. Upon receipt of the complaint, the police plunged into action and nabbed the accused duo. During interrogation, the accused told the police that they had bought the dupe on January 14 at the Charminar Sunday market for a paltry Rs 3,500, in order to cheat the complainant. They had then called Mohd Haji to a lodge at Nampally and sold the fake stone for Rs 1.2 crores, claiming it was a great bargain for the latter.