Dombivli police have registered a case against Goodwin Jewellers after the owners allegedly shut down the 12 branches of the firm and fled with deposits of customers.
The case has been filed against Goodwin Jewellers’ chairman A M Sunilkumar, managing director A M Sudheeshkumar and manager Manish Kundi.
On Saturday, October 26, 300 people protested outside the Dombivli branch. Following which, 150 of them went to the local police station to file a complaint.
What Happened?
According to police, the alleged scam has till now amounted to Rs 2 crore. As more people are approaching the police with complaints, the amount is likely to rise. Prima-facie, it has been learnt there are 14 branches of the firm – 12 in India and two in Dubai. All the Indian branches – Dombivli, Ambernath, Chembur, Vashi, Thane, Thrissur and three in Pune – have been shut since October 22.
On October 22, a notice informing customers that the store would be closed for two days was posted outside the Dombivli branch. However, when they returned after two days, the store was still shut. Following this, a notice was put up urging customers who had been duped to gather there at 10.30 am on Saturday.
The first complainant was Sanjay Biswas who has lost Rs 9.81 lakh. “I had several small fixed deposits with the jeweller. They would promise me good returns, saying that if I deposited Rs 1 lakh, they would give me returns of Rs 1.17 lakh at the end of the year. They also used to run jewellery schemes, asking people to deposit a fixed sum for nine to 10 months towards the purchase of jewellery, and promising to pay the last two EMIs,” Mumbai Mirror quoted Biswas as saying.
According to an official at Dombivli police station, customers would be promised good returns by the Chairman, MD and manager. To inaugurate various branches, they would often organise huge functions and invite celebrities like Shilpa Shetty, Pankaj Udhas and Aftab Shivdasani.
SP Aaher, the senior inspector at Dombivli police station, said that a case of cheating, criminal breach of trust, and common intention has been registered. “So far we have recorded the statements of 29 victims, who have been cheated of Rs 1.8 crore,” he said. Thane police commissioner Vivek Phansalkar is likely to be transfer case from Thane police to the Thane Police’s Economic Wing.
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