A US woman was duped into buying artificial jewellery worth ₹ 300 for a whopping ₹ 6 crore by a Rajasthan shop owner, the police said.
Cherish, a US citizen, bought the silver jewellery with gold polish from a shop at Johri Bazaar in Rajasthan's Jaipur.
When the jewellery was displayed at an exhibition in the US in April this year, it turned out to be fake. Cherish flew down to India and confronted shop owner Gaurav Soni.
After the shop owner dismissed her allegations, the US woman filed a police complaint in Jaipur. She also sought help from the US embassy, which has urged the Jaipur Police to investigate the matter.
The woman told the police that she came in contact with Gaurav Soni through Instagram in 2022. She ended up paying ₹ 6 crore for artificial ornaments over the last two years, officials said.
Police said a search is on for Gaurav and his father Rajendra Soni, both of whom are on the run.
"Special teams have been formed to trace the two men," said an official.