Birju Salla, notorious for Jet Airways bomb hoax, held in ₹12.77-crore jewellery fraud case

Birju Salla, previously arrested in the sensational Jet Airways bomb scare case, has once again landed in police custody this time for allegedly duping a Mumbai-based jeweller of gold ornaments worth ₹12.77 crore. The fugitive was apprehended by the Ahmedabad Crime Branch from a hotel in Vastrapur.

According to officials, Salla, who has past ties to the jewellery business, posed as a broker with high-profile clients seeking antique gold designs. He allegedly acquired jewellery worth ₹12.77 crore from a well-known jeweller in Zaveri Bazaar under the pretext of showing it to a client and assuring full payment. After returning a small portion the next day, he absconded with the rest, prompting the Mumbai Police to register a case of criminal breach of trust and fraud.

Deception in the name of antique jewellery

As per the Crime Branch, the complaint filed by Shailesh Kantilal Jain, a 56-year-old businessman in Marine Drive, the accused Birju Salla(45), a known associate and owner of Kish Gems and Jewellers, approached him on November 18, 2024 requesting to take gold, diamond and silver ornaments on an ‘approval basis’ for a potential customer.

Salla visited Jain’s shop, claiming that a client of his was interested in purchasing a large quantity of antique gold jewellery. Trusting Salla, Jain handed over items worth ₹14 crore. The consignment included 7.2 kg of 22-carat gold jewellery, 224.90 carats of loose diamonds and over 32 kg of silverware.

Salla issued seven post-dated cheques as security, with the understanding that either the items would be sold within 2-3 days and payment would be made, or the goods would be returned. Salla promised that payment would be made once the client finalised the selection. While he returned a few pieces, including 812 grams of gold, 52.5 carats of diamonds, and about 13.9 kg of silver, totalling approximately Rs 1.47 crore, he vanished with the remaining jewellery valued at Rs 12.77 crore soon after.

Traced to Vastrapur hotel

Late on Tuesday late night, following a tip-off, Police Inspector M P Chauhan of the Ahmedabad Crime Branch learnt that Salla was hiding at a Hyatt hotel in Vastrapur. Acting swiftly, a team was dispatched, and he was taken into custody. He will be handed over to the Mumbai Police on Thursday for further investigation.

Preliminary investigation revealed that Salla came to Ahmedabad yesterday and was hiding in the hotel. He had a plan to move to his native place in Dedan village of Amreli on Wednesday, but before he could execute it, he was nabbed.  

History of infamy

Salla first rose to national infamy in 2017 when he planted a hoax letter claiming a bomb threat on board a Jet Airways flight. It was later revealed that he orchestrated the scare to harass his girlfriend, who was a crew member on the flight. The incident led to his arrest by the Mumbai Crime Branch and earned him a lifetime flight ban.

While lodged in Sabarmati Jail, Salla was also booked by Ranip police after he was found in possession of a mobile phone illegally inside the prison.

With his re-arrest in the multi-crore fraud case, Salla’s long trail of deception continues to haunt authorities and victims alike. Mumbai Police are expected to launch a fresh investigation into the stolen jewellery and Salla’s broader criminal network.