A case of fraud involving three businessmen in Kalbadevi has come to light, where nearly Rs. 75 lakhs given for making gold chains were misappropriated. In this matter, the LT Marg Police have registered a case of fraud and launched a special operation to arrest the absconding accused, Sapan Samanta. According to police, the accused is a cousin of the complainant’s wife and is known as a prominent gold trader in the Kalbadevi area.
Laxmikant Radheyshyam Metya, a jeweller by profession, hails from Kolkata and has been residing in the Kalbadevi area for several years. He owns a jewellery-making factory and a shop named "Metya Gold" located on Dadisheth Agiary Lane in Kalbadevi. He hires merchants to make gold jewellery based on orders. Due to his longstanding business, he has developed good relations with many merchants in the area.
Sapan Samanta, the complainant's wife's cousin, is also in the business of making gold chains and is known as a reputable trader in the market. He owns a factory in the Kalbadevi area. A few months ago, Metya had given him an order to make gold chains of different designs. On July 2024, Metya provided Samanta with a 690-gram gold brick of 995 purity, valued at Rs. 50.70 lakhs, to make the chains. Samanta promised to deliver the chains within 15 days.
However, even after 15 days, Samanta did not deliver the gold chains. Metya visited his factory only to find that Samanta had shut down the facility and disappeared since July 22. His phone was also switched off. This raised concerns, prompting Metya to inquire about Samanta’s whereabouts in the market.
Upon further investigation, Metya discovered that Samanta had taken gold from two other merchants as well. On July 5 and 10, he received 252 grams of gold worth Rs. 18 lakhs from Swarnakanti Nandlal Panja of Kandivali’s Charkop and 100 grams of gold worth Rs. 7 lakhs from Vimal Rakhal Panja. However, Samanta did not deliver the gold chains to these merchants either.
In total, Samanta collected Rs. 75.70 lakhs worth of gold from Laxmikant Metya and two other businessmen, promising to make gold chains but disappeared without fulfilling the order. Realizing the fraud, the trio approached LT Marg Police to file a complaint.
Following the confirmation of the complaint, police have registered a case against Sapan Samanta for embezzling gold and defrauding the three businessmen. Police are actively searching for the absconding Samanta, who is originally from Kolkata. It is believed that he may have fled to Kolkata after the fraud, and a police team will soon be dispatched there to track him down.