12cr jewellery fraud: No bail for bizman ‘disowned’ by family | Mumbai News
Mumbai: A magistrate’s court recently rejected the bail plea of businessman Birju Salla, accused of criminal breach of trust and misappropriation of gold and silver jewellery worth over Rs 12 crore. It cited concerns that Salla posed a significant flight risk and noted that the economic offences wing (EOW) had faced difficulty when arresting him.Pointing out documents that show his father had published a notice in newspapers disowning him and his wife had written to Airports Authority of India seeking help with tracking him down, additional chief judicial magistrate Abhijit R Solapure said, “It appears at this stage that even family members and close ones are not sure about the conduct of this accused… This aspect shows he is a flight risk and if he is released, even his family members will not be able to tell his whereabouts.” Gujarat HC had acquitted Salla in 2023, quashing an NIA court’s order that sentenced him to life imprisonment for planting a threat note on a Mumbai-Delhi Jet Airways flight on Oct 30, 2017.EOW arrested Salla on July 2 in Ahmedabad. Police said the complainant, a jeweller, had a long-standing business relationship with Salla and family. His jewellery manufacturing unit ran out of a property owned by the Salla family in Tardeo and he also rented a jewellery store from them. On Nov 18, 2024, Salla claimed to have a customer interested in antique, handmade jewellery. Based on an arrangement, he allegedly selected a substantial quantity of gold ornaments, diamonds and silver utensils worth around Rs 14 crore. Most of the money owed was allegedly not paid. Salla’s lawyer argued that the matter was a commercial transaction gone wrong, which should be treated as a civil dispute rather than a criminal one. It was also said the complainant held the cheques given by Salla and could have pursued a case if they were dishonoured. The defence sought relief on the basis of parity, noting that a co-accused, Vaibhav Thakar, had been granted bail. It was also submitted that Salla has been in custody for over 90 days. Both the investigating officer and the public prosecutor opposed the bail plea. They said Salla was entrusted with the jewellery for sale but failed to account for a majority of the items. They said he did not cooperate with the investigation and would take “undue advantage of liberty” if released. Dismissing the parity claim, the court noted that Salla’s role in the crime was “greater” than that of Thakar, who cooperated with the probe.
