Amid a steady rise in fraud cases in the city, a major cheating incident targeting the jewellery business has come to light from the Paydhonie area, where fraudsters decamped with gold ornaments worth ₹45 lakh. The accused posed as a fake Angadia courier and fled with genuine gold after handing over counterfeit gold biscuits, police said.
According to police officials, Prashant Lavde (55), a resident of Kokan Nagar in Jogeshwari East, works as a manager at Dhanraj Precious Metals Private Limited in Lower Parel. He has been associated with the company for the past eight years and handles jewellery orders and deliveries.
On March 18, 2026, at around 2:30 pm, Lavde received a call on the company’s official number from a person identifying himself as Manish Jain. The caller claimed to be a trader from Navkar Jewels in Hyderabad and placed an order for CNC-cut 22-carat gold bangles. To appear genuine, he also shared his visiting card via WhatsApp.
After reviewing multiple designs sent by the company, the accused finalised 17 designs and confirmed an order for 14 bangles. The total weight of the ornaments was around 309.11 grams, valued at approximately ₹45 lakh. The accused assured payment in the form of 300 grams of gold and stated that the transaction would be carried out through an angadia named K. Ambalal.
The following day, March 19, a person claiming to be the angadia contacted Lavde and asked him to meet near Masjid Bunder. Refusing to visit the office, the accused insisted on completing the deal on the roadside. During the meeting, he handed over three gold-like biscuits of 100 grams each and took possession of the 14 bangles before fleeing the spot.
Upon verification at Zaveri Bazaar, the biscuits were found to be made of cheap metal instead of gold, exposing the fraud. The address provided by the accused was also found to be fake.
Following the incident, Lavde lodged a complaint at Paydhonie Police Station. The police have registered a case against an unknown accused and have launched an investigation, examining CCTV footage from the area to trace the accused.