The BKC police have arrested a wanted diamond broker accused of misappropriating diamonds worth ₹1.26 crore. The accused, identified as Anil Lukhi, was apprehended after evading authorities for a month. His brother, Ashok Lukhi, who is a co-accused in the case, remains at large, and the police have launched a special operation to apprehend him.
Complainant Sanjay Bodra, a resident of Malabar Hill and a sales executive at R. Jaykumar & Company, reported the incident. The company's headquarters is located at BKC, Bharat Diamond Bourse, near FC Tower. On October 20, the Lukhi brothers, posing as diamond brokers, visited the office and convinced Bodra of their connections with reputed diamond merchants. They claimed that they could secure a high price for quality diamonds on behalf of the company.
Trusting their assurances, the company handed over diamonds worth ₹1.26 crore to the duo, who promised to either return the diamonds or remit the proceeds from their sale within a week.
When the Lukhi brothers failed to return or make payments after a week, Bodra attempted to contact them. However, the brothers became unresponsive and eventually switched off their phones. Realizing the fraud, Bodra lodged a complaint with the BKC police.
Following an initial investigation, the police registered a case against the Lukhi brothers for misappropriation and fraud and launched a manhunt.
A month after the complaint, the police tracked down and arrested Anil Lukhi. During interrogation, he confessed to misappropriating the diamonds with the help of his brother, Ashok. Lukhi also admitted to defrauding the complainant and potentially other diamond merchants.
The police are now probing whether the Lukhi brothers are involved in similar cases of fraud against other traders. Efforts are being intensified to apprehend Ashok Lukhi, who is still absconding.