The police said the employees identified a former employee, Rinkesh Soni, as the only one who had access to jewellery while in storage. Soni (29), a resident of Jacob Circle, had worked at the store for a year before leaving in June, the police said. (Representational Image) The police said the employees identified a former employee, Rinkesh Soni, as the only one who had access to jewellery while in storage. Soni (29), a resident of Jacob Circle, had worked at the store for a year before leaving in June, the police said. (Representational Image) A former employee of a leading jewellery store in Churchgate was arrested on Saturday, for allegedly stealing diamonds worth Rs 12 lakh and replacing them with fake stones. The alleged fraud came to light in August when a customer at the store noticed that solitaires had come loose off two rings that he had tried on. When this was brought to the notice, an assistant manager stored them aside as defective pieces and sent them to the factory for repairs. In October, the factory reported to the store owner that the rings sent for repairs contained fake stones. However, as the festive season had just begun, the owner decided to postpone investigating the matter. After Diwali, the owner met his store managers to discuss the factory’s findings. The police said the employees identified a former employee, Rinkesh Soni, as the only one who had access to jewellery while in storage. Soni (29), a resident of Jacob Circle, had worked at the store for a year before leaving in June, the police said. After the owner registered a complaint with the police, Soni was caught at CSMT railway station on Saturday, where he was supposed to meet his girlfriend, the police said. “The accused had expertise in removing small diamonds from pieces of jewellery and replacing them with fake stones,” said Vilas Gangawane, senior inspector, Marine Drive police station. Soni was produced in court on Sunday and remanded in police custody till November 21. A 1.25-carat and a 0.90-carat diamond are yet to be recovered from Soni, the police told the court. For all the latest Mumbai News, download Indian Express App

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