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

Sergei Vasilyevich Gerasimov, the artist who survived Stalin's cultural purges

By Harsh Thakor* Sergei Vasilyevich Gerasimov (September 14, 1885 – April 20, 1964) was a Soviet artist, professor, academician, and teacher. His work was posthumously awarded the Lenin Prize, the highest artistic honour of the USSR. His paintings traced the development of socialist realism in the visual arts while retaining qualities drawn from impressionism. Gerasimov reconciled a lyrical approach to nature with the demands of Soviet socialist ideology.

Nepal votes amid regional rivalry: Why New Delhi is watching closely

By Nava Thakuria* As Nepal holds an early national election on Thursday (5 March 2026), the people of northeast India, along with other regional observers, are watching the proceedings closely. The vote was necessitated after the government of Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli collapsed in September 2025 following widespread anti-government protests. The election will determine the composition of the 275-member House of Representatives, originally scheduled for 2027, under the stewardship of an interim government led by former Supreme Court justice Sushila Karki.

From plagiarism to proxy exams: Galgotias and systemic failure in education

By Sandeep Pandey* Shock is being expressed at Galgotias University being found presenting a Chinese-made robotic dog and a South Korean-made soccer-playing drone as its own creations at the recently held India AI Impact Summit 2026, a global event in New Delhi. Earlier, a UGC-listed journal had published a paper from the university titled “Corona Virus Killed by Sound Vibrations Produced by Thali or Ghanti: A Potential Hypothesis,” which became the subject of widespread ridicule. Following the robotic dog controversy coming to light, the university has withdrawn the paper. These incidents are symptoms of deeper problems afflicting the Indian education system in general. Galgotias merely bit off more than it could chew.

'Policy long overdue': Coalition of 29 experts tells JP Nadda to act on SC warning label order

By A Representative In a significant development for public health, the Supreme Court of India has directed the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to seriously consider implementing mandatory front-of-pack warning labels on pre-packaged food products. The order, passed by a bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and K.V. Viswanathan on February 10, 2026, comes as the Court expressed dissatisfaction with the regulatory body's progress on the issue.

From non-alignment to strategic partnership: India's ideological shift toward Israel

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak* India's historical foreign policy maintained a notable duality: offering sanctuary to persecuted Jewish communities dating back centuries, while simultaneously supporting Palestinian self-determination as an expression of its broader anti-colonial foreign policy commitments. The gradual shift in Indian foreign policy under Hindutva-aligned governance — moving toward a strategic partnership with Israel while reducing substantive engagement with the Palestinian cause — raises legitimate questions about ideological motivation and geopolitical consequence.

Development vs community: New coal politics and old conflicts in Madhya Pradesh

By Deepmala Patel* The Singrauli region of Madhya Pradesh, often described as “India’s energy capital,” has for decades been a hub of coal mining and thermal power generation. Today, the Dhirouli coal mine project in this district has triggered widespread protests among local communities. In recent years, the project has generated intense controversy, public opposition, and significant legal and social questions. This is not merely a dispute over one mine; it raises a larger question—who pays the price for energy development? Large corporate beneficiaries or the survival of local communities?

Indian ecologist urges United Nations to probe alleged Epstein links within UN ranks

By A Representative A senior Indian ecologist and long-time United Nations environmental negotiator, Dr. S. Faizi of Thiruvananthapuram, has written to António Guterres, urging the United Nations to launch a high-level investigation into alleged links between certain current and former UN officials and the late American financier Jeffrey Epstein, following disclosures of email communications by the U.S. Department of Justice.

Vaccination vs screening: Policy questions raised on cervical cancer strategy

By A Representative A public policy expert has written to Union Health Minister J. P. Nadda raising a series of concerns regarding the national Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination campaign launched on February 28 for 14-year-old girls.

Zinaida Portnova: The teenage partisan of the Soviet resistance

By Harsh Thakor* February 20 marked the birth centenary of Zinaida Portnova, one of the youngest recipients of the Soviet Union’s highest wartime honour. Remembered for her role in the anti-Nazi underground in occupied Belarus during the Second World War, Portnova became a symbol of youth participation in the Soviet resistance.

Search This Blog