How Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi, collaborators in Vibrant Gujarat 2017, fleeced state jewellery customers

By Shaktisinh Gohil*
Nirav Modi ("chhota Modi") and Mehul Choksi ("hamare Mehulbhai") have not only siphoned off from India’s banks a sum of Rs 21,306 crore. A new layer of conspiracy has now been unearthed which discloses that India’s middle class and common people have also been duped of Rs.5,000 crore or perhaps more. A complicit Modi Government has even refused to publicly acknowledge this loot.
Gitanjali Gems Limited had floated three jewellery investment schemes, i.e. (a) Shagun, (b) Swarna Mangal Labh, and (c) Swarna Mangal Kalash. Modus operandi of the scheme was that an ordinary person, seeking to buy jewellery as also to earn a return on investment, was required to pay 11 installments of a specified amount. In return, the Gitanjali group offered to pay the 12th installment as free. Tenure of these installments could be 12 months, 24 months or 36 months. At the end of the tenure, the amount so accumulated could be redeemed for jewellery with an additional bonus of up to 50%.
Like in the case of banks, the common man was duped by way of these schemes. In a huge number of cases, neither the installment was paid nor the jewellery given, nor the amount returned. Consequently, a large number of police complaints were filed in Gujarat by way of affidavits in September 2015 Annexures A-1 to A-4 (Click HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE to see the four affidavits submitted to the Gujarat police. Click HERE for copy of the card issued for the scheme).
On 10th October, 2017, a large number of persons again filed complaints against the fraud being played upon common men by Gitanjali Group. Shockingly, instead of registering FIR and arresting Nirav Modi/Mehul Choksi and others, the Bhavnagar Police, with whom the complaints were filed, kept the matter pending and finally referred it by recording that it should be investigated by CID Crime, Gandhinagar (click HERE for copy of the translated version of the police report).
Interestingly, although complaints were given on 10th October, 2017, Gujarat Police waited up to 25th January, 2018, by when Nirav Modi/Mehul Choksi had run away from the country along with their families. Across Gujarat, there are thousands of such cases, where there was complete inaction by police in proceeding against Nirav Modi/Mehul Choksi.
It is indeed surprising that people were defrauded with impunity and the entire government machinery of BJP remained a mute spectator. Complicity and protection at the highest level is, thus, writ large.
Despite huge number of complaints of fraud and duping of common men pending, the BJP Government projected Gitanjali Group of Mehul Choksi/Nirav Modi as a Ccllaborator for the Vibrant Gujarat Summit of2017 held between 10-13 January, 2017 (click HERE for a copy). No wonder, there was complete inaction against Chhota Modi and his uncle.
It is necessary to ask:

Why is BJP mum on the connections of Nirav Modi/Mehul Choksi to BJP leadership?
Was Mehul Choksi not invited in the small gathering when Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Gold Monetization Scheme in the year 2015? Did Prime Minister not refer to Mehul Choksi with great affection in his speech, specially addressing him as ‘Hamare Mehulbhai’?
Was Nirav Modi not part of the gathering of Indian CEOs photographed with the Prime Minister, in Davos, Switzerland, on 23rd January, 2018 (after his escape from India) and was this photograph was released by PMO, PIB and MEA Twitter handles?
Why is the Prime Minister fighting shy of admitting his connection to Mehul Choksi and Nirav Modi?
Is it true that Aparna Chaudasama (sister-in-law of BJP spokesperson and Maharashtra BJP’s Ms Shaina NC) was head of sales with Nirav Modi?
(v) Is it correct that Mehul Choksi and Geetanjali Group had showcased creation by Ms Shaina NC in August, 2015? Is it correct that this show was presided over by Amruta Fadnavis, wife of Maharashtra Chief Minister, Devendra Fadnavis and Anar Patel, daughter of former Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel, was also present as a guest of honour in the function? Is it correct that Mehul Choksi had given huge ads in newspapers of this function showcasing the sponsored event by Gitanjali Group along with pictures of the persons named above to project his proximity (click HERE for copy of the ad)?

---
*National spokesperson, All-India Congress Committee

Comments

Gujarat Information Commission issues warning against misinterpretation of RTI orders

By A Representative The Gujarat Information Commission (GIC) has issued a press note clarifying that its orders limiting the number of Right to Information (RTI) applications for certain individuals apply only to those specific applicants. The GIC has warned that it will take disciplinary action against any public officials who misinterpret these orders to deny information to other citizens. The press note, signed by GIC Secretary Jaideep Dwivedi, states that the Right to Information Act, 2005, is a powerful tool for promoting transparency and accountability in public administration. However, the commission has observed that some applicants are misusing the act by filing an excessive number of applications, which disproportionately consumes the time and resources of Public Information Officers (PIOs), First Appellate Authorities (FAAs), and the commission itself. This misuse can cause delays for genuine applicants seeking justice. In response to this issue, and in acc...

Targeted eviction of Bengali-speaking Muslims across Assam districts alleged

By A Representative A delegation led by prominent academic and civil rights leader Sandeep Pandey visited three districts in Assam—Goalpara, Dhubri, and Lakhimpur—between 2 and 4 September 2025 to meet families affected by recent demolitions and evictions. The delegation reported widespread displacement of Bengali-speaking Muslim communities, many of whom possess valid citizenship documents including Aadhaar, voter ID, ration cards, PAN cards, and NRC certification.

'Govts must walk the talk on gender equality, right to health, human rights to deliver SDGs by 2030'

By A Representative With just 64 months left to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), global health and rights advocates have called upon governments to honour their commitments on gender equality and the human right to health. Speaking ahead of the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), experts warned that rising anti-rights and anti-gender pushes are threatening hard-won progress on SDG-3 (health and wellbeing) and SDG-5 (gender equality).

A comrade in culture and controversy: Yao Wenyuan’s revolutionary legacy

By Harsh Thakor* This year marks two important anniversaries in Chinese revolutionary history—the 20th death anniversary of Yao Wenyuan, and the 50th anniversary of his seminal essay "On the Social Basis of the Lin Biao Anti-Party Clique". These milestones invite reflection on the man whose pen ignited the first sparks of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and whose sharp ideological interventions left an indelible imprint on the political and cultural landscape of socialist China.

Is U.S. fast losing its financial and technological edge under Trump’s second tenure?

By Dr. Manoj Kumar Mishra* The United States, along with its Western European allies, once promoted globalization as a democratic force that would deliver shared prosperity and balanced growth. That promise has unraveled. Globalization, instead of building an even world, has produced one defined by inequality, asymmetry of power, and new vulnerabilities. For decades, Washington successfully turned this system to its advantage. Today, however, under Trump’s second administration, America is attempting to exploit the weaknesses of others without acknowledging how exposed it has become itself.

Gandhiji quoted as saying his anti-untouchability view has little space for inter-dining with "lower" castes

By A Representative A senior activist close to Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) leader Medha Patkar has defended top Booker prize winning novelist Arundhati Roy’s controversial utterance on Gandhiji that “his doctrine of nonviolence was based on an acceptance of the most brutal social hierarchy the world has ever known, the caste system.” Surprised at the police seeking video footage and transcript of Roy’s Mahatma Ayyankali memorial lecture at the Kerala University on July 17, Nandini K Oza in a recent blog quotes from available sources to “prove” that Gandhiji indeed believed in “removal of untouchability within the caste system.”

'MGNREGA crisis deepening': NSM demands fair wages and end to digital exclusions

By A Representative The NREGA Sangharsh Morcha (NSM), a coalition of independent unions of MGNREGA workers, has warned that the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) is facing a “severe crisis” due to persistent neglect and restrictive measures imposed by the Union Government.

On Teachers’ Day, remembering Mother Teresa as the teacher of compassion

By Fr. Cedric Prakash SJ It is Teachers’ Day once again! Significantly, the day also marks the Feast of St. Teresa of Calcutta (still lovingly called Mother Teresa). In 2012, the United Nations, as a fitting tribute to her, declared this day the International Day of Charity. A day pregnant with meaning—one that we must celebrate as meaningfully as possible.

Gujarat minority rights group seeks suspension of Botad police officials for brutal assault on minor

By A Representative A human rights group, the Minority Coordination Committee (MCC) Gujarat, has written to the Director General of Police (DGP), Gandhinagar, demanding the immediate suspension and criminal action against police personnel of Botad police station for allegedly brutally assaulting a minor boy from the Muslim community.

Counterview

Search This Blog