Varachha jeweller loses Rs 5.03cr as accused shut shop

Surat: A 69-year-old jeweller from Varachha filed a cheating complaint at Ashwinikumar police station on Tuesday after allegedly being defrauded of Rs 5.03 crore by two accused. The complainant, Magan Vaviya, had given 4,022g of gold to Nitin Pansuriya and Manish Pansuriya over five months for making ornaments, but the pair failed to deliver the order and reportedly shut their shop.Vaviya, who owns two jewellery showrooms — Amar Swarna Mandir and Amar Jewellers in Mini Bazar, Varachha— had been giving gold to the accused, owners of Heer Gold, for job work over the past three years. Between May and Oct 2025, he supplied a total of 8,500g of gold. The accused returned only 4,478g in the form of ornaments, leaving 4,022g unaccounted for.On Nov 1, 2025, Nitin reportedly met Vaviya and promised to return the remaining gold later. Suspicious, Vaviya sent a staff member to the accused firm and discovered that the shop had closed due to bankruptcy. Attempts to contact the accused at their residence and by phone failed.The Eco Cell police have assigned inspector GM Hadiya to investigate the case.