Rohan Dua

HIGHLIGHTS

  • These graduates had collected Rs 3 crore through crowdfunding, mortgage and aid from their parents to open Gitanjali Jewelery Retail’s franchise in Delhi’s Rajouri Garden in October 2013.
  • Their dreams of big earnings turned sour when they realised that ‘third-grade’ damaged and old diamonds and gems were sent to them against a security deposit of Rs 1.5 crore.

Mehul Choksi (TOI file photo)Mehul Choksi (TOI file photo)

LUCKNOW/DELHI: While executives at nationalised and commercial banks such as PNB were allegedly colluding with firms led by billionaire diamond merchant Mehul Choksi+ , a group of seven young engineering graduates from Rajasthan Institute of Engineering and Technology (RIET) in Jaipur had dragged him into a court battle in last two years.

These BTech graduates had collected Rs 3 crore through crowdfunding, mortgage and aid from their parents to open Gitanjali Jewelery Retail’s franchise in Delhi’s Rajouri Garden in October 2013. Led by electronic engineer Vaibhav Khurania (24) and IT engineer Deepak Bansal (23), the group had set up a firm RM Green Solutions. Their dreams of big earnings turned sour when they realised that ‘third-grade’ damaged and old diamonds and gems were sent to them against a security deposit of Rs 1.5 crore.

The engineers moved the Saket court which ordered Choksi’s arrest if allegations were found true. They alleged that Choksi’s company refused to replenish the stock against the money deposited despite several messages, phone calls and emails while they came to know of other FIRs being registered.

Rattled by the complaint, Choksi moved the Delhi high court in August 2017 seeking quashing of the FIR.