Two men are currently in police custody after attempting to swap genuine diamonds with artificial ones at a jewelry store in Delhi. The incident began when Saurabh, an employee at ‘Solitairekart’, accompanied two buyers, Sagar Gupta and his friend Chandrashekhar, to verify the authenticity of three diamond stones at the IGL lab in Karol Bagh. The lab expert confirmed that the diamonds were artificial, leading to an altercation between the buyers and Saurabh before the buyers abruptly left.
Upon returning to the store and confirming that the diamonds were indeed fake, Saurabh and the store manager contacted the police. During the investigation, it was discovered that Sagar and Chandrashekhar were actually jewel thieves who had visited the store previously to scout for targets. They purchased a few diamonds worth around Rs 1 lakh before returning to buy more expensive diamonds, including three pieces worth Rs 10 lakh.
On the day of the incident, the duo arrived at the store and insisted on verifying the diamonds’ authenticity before making a payment. They requested the diamonds be sent to the Karol Bagh lab, which was a common practice for quality checks. Saurabh was tasked with taking the diamonds to the lab, accompanied by Sagar and Chandrashekhar in a taxi.
During the car ride, Sagar allegedly switched the genuine diamonds with artificial ones, unnoticed by Saurabh. The theft was discovered after the stones were reexamined at the lab, prompting a police investigation. CCTV footage from the mall and lab, along with the taxi’s journey records, helped trace the thieves’ movements.
Sagar was arrested in Gurgaon, while Chandrashekhar was apprehended in Haridwar. A third accomplice, Madhusudan Aggarwal, was arrested in Delhi after the duo claimed to have handed over the stolen diamonds to him. Police suspect that the group may have used similar tactics to cheat other gemstone shops in the past.
During questioning, it was revealed that Sagar was the mastermind behind the operation, driven by financial difficulties following the collapse of his gemstone trading business.