A man was arrested on Monday for allegedly cheating a jewellery store on Camac Street in the city’s central business district last weekend.
Police identified the accused as Sejan Taj who allegedly purchased gold jewellery worth over Rs 11 lakh with a cheque that was dishonoured by the bank.
The police said the amount Taj wrote on the cheque included Rs 37,000 which he told the store staff he was paying as an advance for his next purchase. When the cheque was presented to the bank, it was dishonoured because of inadequate funds in the account.
Taj, who had left with the jewellery weighing 176g and worth Rs 11.27 lakh, allegedly became incommunicado when the store tried to contact him.
This prompted them to lodge a complaint against him with Shakespeare Sarani police station. “The investigating officer collected CCTV footage, which helped in the identification of the accused, and the mobile number that was mentioned in the store’s register,” said a police officer of the bank fraud section.
The police apparently learnt during the investigation that Taj had tried to cheat at least two more jewellery stores. But the staff there were suspicious and did not hand the jewellery to him when he wanted to pay through cheque.
“The accused is a resident of Delhi who had been staying at his in-laws’ house in Garden Reach for the past three months. The documents found on him included an identity card issued by a ‘film city’. We have yet to verify his profession,” said a police officer.
The police said a large portion of the gold jewellery that he took away from the Camac Street store had been mortgaged to a gold loan agency for Rs 5 lakh.
Officers investigating the case said several gold ornaments including chains, necklaces and jhumkas, Rs 62,500, and debit cards and chequebooks were seized from the house of Taj’s in-laws.
The bank accounts of the accused have been frozen, the officer said. “Gold jewellery and cash together worth Rs 5 lakh have been seized. We will retrieve the remaining ornaments that have been deposited in a gold loan company.”
Taj was remanded in police custody on Tuesday.