Surat: The director of diamond firm SRK Diamonds was allegedly duped of Rs 76.44 lakh by a licensed stamp vendor couple who had been supplying stamp papers to the company for several years.The accused allegedly took the money through a bank transfer but failed to provide the e-stamps or return the amount. The Detection of Crime Branch (DCB) police have registered a case and launched an investigation.According to the FIR, Kanu Malaviya, who has been authorised by SRK Diamonds director Shreyansh Dholakiya to file the complaint, said Dholakiya had been purchasing stamp papers from the accused couple through a lawyer since 2020. The accused have been identified as Saloni Ramkrishna Mewawala and her husband, Ramkrishna Kiritkumar Mewawala.In 2025, Dholakiya required stamp papers worth Rs 76.44 lakh in connection with the proposed purchase of land in Palsana. The accused allegedly assured him that they would arrange the required stamp papers and asked him to deposit the amount into an Axis Bank account of Stock Holding Corporation of India Ltd.Accordingly, Rs 76.44 lakh was transferred by cheque from the complainant’s Bank of India account on December 24, 2025. However, the landowners subsequently delayed the transfer of the property, prompting Dholakiya to contact the vendors on January 1, 2026, and ask them to return the money.The accused allegedly kept delaying the refund on various pretexts. When the land deal was later expected to be finalised in March 2026, Dholakiya instead asked the couple to arrange the e-stamps.The accused allegedly told him that they had used the money to arrange an e-stamp for another party and assured him that the required stamp would be arranged by April 4. However, they allegedly failed to provide the stamp and subsequently issued a cheque dated June 11, which was dishonoured.The DCB police have booked the accused under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), alleging that they failed to provide the stamp papers or refund the money and instead used the amount for other purposes. Police are investigating the alleged fraud and tracing the movement of the money.SRK Diamonds is owned by Rajya Sabha MP Govind Dholakiya, who represents Gujarat. Shreyansh Dholakiya is his son.
