Mumbai Jeweller Birju Salla Booked in ₹12.77 Crore Jewellery Fraud by Mumbai EOW

The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Mumbai Police has registered a First Information Report (FIR) against jeweller Birju Kishor Kumar Salla (45) in connection with a high-profile jewellery fraud case. Salla has been accused of cheating and misappropriating gold, silver, and diamond jewellery worth ₹12.77 crore. Investigations have revealed that Salla is a repeat offender who was earlier jailed for planting a fake hijack threat at Ahmedabad airport.

As per the FIR, the complainant, Shailesh Kantilal Jain (56), is a veteran jeweller operating out of Zaveri Bazaar. He had known Salla through long-standing family and business associations. On 18th November 2024, Salla approached Jain claiming that one of his clients was interested in purchasing antique and handcrafted jewellery.

Trusting Salla, Jain agreed to provide the ornaments on an “approval basis,” a common trade practice where jewellery is handed over for potential sale and must be returned if not sold. On 21st November 2024, Jain handed over ornaments worth ₹14 crore to Salla. This included gold worth ₹5.55 crore, diamonds valued at ₹8.15 crore, and silver worth ₹29.13 lakh.

However, between 25th November and 20th December, Salla returned only a portion of the items — jewellery worth ₹1.47 crore. He neither made payment for the remaining items nor returned them. Jain alleged that Salla continued to evade him and offered vague responses when confronted.

With no resolution in sight, Jain finally approached the EOW. The agency has now begun examining financial records, approval vouchers, GST invoices, cheques, and chat transcripts related to the case. Authorities are also tracking the current location of the accused.