The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Mumbai Police has filed a nearly 250-page chargesheet against businessman Birju Salla in connection with an alleged fraud of ₹12.77 crore. The chargesheet, submitted before the Esplanade Court, also includes statements of around a dozen witnesses.
According to the investigation, the alleged fraud took place on 18 November 2024, when Salla claimed to have a client interested in antique, handcrafted jewellery. Based on an agreement, he reportedly selected a large quantity of gold ornaments, diamonds, and silverware worth nearly ₹14 crore. However, the complainant alleged that a major portion of the payment remained unpaid.
The case was registered following a complaint by a jeweller, who had long-standing business relations with Salla and his family. Police said the complainant’s jewellery manufacturing unit operated from a property owned by the Salla family in Tardeo, and he had also rented a jewellery showroom from them.
Salla was arrested by the EOW three months ago and has since been lodged in Arthur Road Jail, after both the magistrate court and sessions court rejected his bail pleas.
Notably, Salla had earlier made headlines in 2017 when he planted a threat note on a Mumbai–Delhi Jet Airways flight, forcing an emergency landing at Ahmedabad airport. He was sentenced to life imprisonment by a special NIA court. However, in 2023, the Gujarat High Court acquitted him, overturning the NIA court’s order.