Surat, Gujarat: In a major crackdown, Zone-1 LCB and Sarathana Police jointly uncovered a fake gold jewelry manufacturing racket operating out of the Sarathana area. The police arrested 12 individuals and seized a large quantity of fake gold ornaments and related equipment. The arrested individuals include 5 from Amreli, 4 from Bhavnagar, 1 from Gir Somnath, and 2 from Maharashtra.
Chains Had Only Hooks Made of 23% Gold
As per police reports, the illegal workshop was operating from a house in Rudraksh Society, Velenja, under Utran Police Station limits. The gang specialized in making duplicate gold chains in which only the hooks contained 23% real gold. The remaining parts of the chains were made from imitation metals. Despite this, the products were marked with counterfeit hallmark stamps and sold as genuine gold ornaments. Preliminary investigation revealed that the racket had been active for the last two years.
Gang Exposed While Trying to Sell Fake Chains
The racket came to light when the main accused Vivek Vaghela and others visited Shiv Mandir Jewellers at Yogi Chowk to sell one of the fake chains. The jeweler suspected foul play and immediately informed the police. Two accused—Harish Khatana and Vimal—managed to escape after handing over the fake chain.
Acting on the jeweler’s complaint, the police formed teams and conducted raids. They arrested the gang members and seized four fake chains, a chain-manufacturing machine, and a fake hallmark stamping tool from the premises.
Repeat Incidents Raised Red Flags
The shop owner, Hardik Kamani, had already become suspicious due to two previous incidents on April 15 and April 25, when customers had exchanged fake chains weighing 10.400g and 10.280g respectively for real ones. On June 5, two men came to his store and selected a ladies’ chain worth ₹1.05 lakh (11.710g). They offered to exchange it with their own chain. Due to prior experience, Kamani decided to have the chain thoroughly examined, which revealed it was fake—prompting police involvement.
Other Jewellers Were Also Targeted
The gang had previously targeted other jewelers as well. Mogal Jewels’ Chetan Dhameliya was duped with a 13.850g fake chain, while Gopi Jewels’ Bharat Radadiya received two fake chains weighing 12.800g and 13.900g respectively. These repeated cases prompted the Jewellers’ Association to stay on high alert.
Unemployed Artisan Lured with ₹5,000
During interrogation, it was found that accused Vimal Mukesh Langaliya, a jobless goldsmith, was lured into the scheme by Hari Rabari with a promise of ₹5,000 in exchange for planting the fake chain. Vimal denied involvement in previous fraudulent activities but admitted to the most recent incident.
DCP Confirms Network Operation
DCP Alok Kumar stated that Zone-1 LCB and Sarathana Police conducted coordinated raids after receiving complaints. The operation revealed that an organized network was involved. Some members made the fake chains, others forged hallmark stamps, and a few posed as customers to sell the fake items. So far, the gang is believed to have sold nearly 200 grams (20 tolas) of counterfeit gold jewelry.
How the Racket Operated
The accused manufactured duplicate gold chains and managed to get them stamped with fake 22K-916 hallmark marks. These were then distributed among the gang members, who posed as customers and sold them to different jewelry stores. Only the hook of each chain contained real gold, while the rest was made of low-cost metals—enough to trick basic authenticity tests.
