Over 14 Fresh Complaints Filed In A Single Day After Police Nab Jewelers From Meerut With Stolen Gold Worth Crores

The scale of the multi-crore gold scam involving the proprietors of Vaishno Jewellers in Gwalior’s DD Nagar has expanded significantly. Following the arrest of the prime accused, Sachin Soni, and his father, Vinod Soni, from Meerut in Uttar Pradesh, a wave of new victims has emerged.

Long queues of defrauded residents were seen at the Maharajpura police station, with local authorities confirming that at least 14 fresh complaints were registered on Monday alone. The total number of official cases registered against the father-son duo has now crossed 16, and investigators believe the numbers will continue to climb.

Trust Built Over Years Shattered

Initial police investigations reveal that the accused had meticulously built a solid reputation in the local market over several years. Known for their affable demeanor, they easily convinced residents to hand over cash and family heirlooms under various pretexts.

According to officials, the duo accepted gold for hallmarking, polishing, making new ornaments, and as collateral for loans. They also lured several victims by promising to help them retrieve gold mortgaged with banks or private lenders at lower interest rates. Once they amassed a massive cache of gold and cash, they shuttered the shop and vanished.

Property Businessman First Target

The investigation indicates that the son-and-father team commenced their run with a high-value target, allegedly swindling a local property businessman of gold valued at approximately ₹80 lakh. It was after this major fraud that the complaints began to trickle into local stations.

The Gwalior police, with critical technical support from the Cyber Cell, traced the missing jewelers to Meerut. During a late-night raid on Wednesday, both Sachin and Vinod Soni were taken into custody. Police recovered 971 grams of gold jewelry, estimated to be worth around ₹1.5 crore, from their possession.

Farmers Lead Early Complaints

The legal crackdown gained momentum when three local farmers approached the Maharajpura police station right after news of the arrests broke. Based on their statements, formal FIRs were filed on Sunday.

One victim, Dharamveer Singh Gurjar from Maharajpura, recounted his ordeal to the police. He had handed over 2.5 tolas of old gold and ₹65,000 to Sachin Soni to craft a new chain. "When I went to collect it on May 28, Sachin told me the hallmarking process was still pending and asked me to return later," Gurjar stated. Shortly after that interaction, the shop was locked up and the owners disappeared.

Escalating List Of Victims

The diversity of the victims highlights how deeply the fraud penetrated the local community:

 Rabbi Khan & Shabbir: Pledged a total of 885.7 grams of gold ornaments with Vinod Soni. Despite offering to repay the loan amount, their gold was never returned.

 Sandeep Singh Bhadauria: Defrauded of ₹17.50 lakh taken as cash advance for new ornaments.

 Ghanshyam Sharma: Lost ₹17.00 lakh under the guise of business investments and jewelry orders.

 Vinay Chaturvedi: Cheated of ₹11.23 lakh in advance bookings for new designs.

 Rahul Gurjar: Lost a gold necklace alongside ₹6.90 lakh in cash.

 Ravikant Mishra & Atul Pal: Duped of ₹5.00 lakh and ₹2.00 lakh respectively for pending jewelry orders.

Police Seeking Further Remand

Sources familiar with the matter said that previous cases had already been lodged against the duo at the Kotwali police station following a complaint by Mansingh Gurjar.

Maharajpura Police Station In-charge Yashwant Goyal confirmed that the investigation is expanding rapidly. "The number of complaints is rising by the day. New FIRs are being registered as more victims step forward with proof of transactions," Goyal said. The police intend to seek further remand of the accused in connection with the fresh complaints to recover the remaining stolen gold and cash.