Swindlers making merry in diamond hub

SURAT: Diamantaires in the city have lost precious gems worth at least Rs 150 crore to swindlers in the last one year.
Surat Diamond Association (SDA) and city police believe that a gang of diamond polishers is active in the city and targeting small and medium diamond unit owners in Varachha, Katargam and Mahidharpura markets.
What has shocked the industry is the modus operandi of the swindlers.They first get employment in the diamond unit on fake name and address.
After working for around 5-6 months, they take away polished diamonds and replace them with low-quality synthetic diamonds and disappear.
Unlike big diamantaires, the small and medium diamond units don't have a stringent verification of the job seekers. They are only asked to fill up a form mentioning some basic details about them and no documents are asked for.
"We get at least 40 cases of such diamond thefts every month. There is a sudden spurt in one year" said Dinesh Navadiya.
KM Chaudhary, police inspector, Kapodara told TOI: "It is a well-oiled network of a swindler gang. Usually, diamond unit owners don't come to the police with such complaints fearing a taint on their reputation."
The increase in swindling cases has forced the SDA to issue a trade alert asking all the diamond unit owners to exercise caution while making new appointments.
The diamond unit owners should make it mandatory for the new workers to submit their identity proofs like voter's ID card, driving licence, electricity bill etc.
In fact Navadiya himself lost diamonds worth Rs 1 lakh to a person whom he had employed on the recommendation of his brother. The worker identified himself as Pankaj.
When police tried to locate him at the address he had mentioned in the job form, it turned out to be fake. Police even got in touch with him over phone but he said that he was in Ahmedabad and refuted the allegations.