Trader shocked as 6,625 saris vanish in alleged Rs 27L scam

Surat: A Diwali break turned costly for a city sari trader, who later discovered that over 6,600 saris worth Rs 27 lakh had allegedly been sold without billing by two employees, who have since gone missing.

According to a complaint filed by Jayprakash Sharma (40) with Godadara police, owner of Meet Fashion Hub in Radhamadhav Market, the alleged irregularities came to light after his trusted employee Dipak Sharma — a relative — failed to return with account details after proceeding on Diwali leave.

Police said Dipak was assigned key responsibilities, including receiving saris from job work units, dispatching consignments to traders and maintaining stock records. He was expected to submit complete accounts before leaving for his native place in Rajasthan on Oct 16, but allegedly left without doing so.

The matter surfaced after Diwali when a tempo operator approached Sharma seeking Rs 9,600 towards transport charges. On inquiry, Sharma was informed that Dipak had been using the vehicle to send sari consignments to traders before leaving for his hometown.

Alarmed, Sharma began verifying the stock and transaction records, only to discover that 6,625 saris valued at around Rs 27 lakh had allegedly been dispatched without any GST billing or official documentation.

Attempts to contact Dipak failed as his mobile phone was found switched off.

Sharma also alleged the involvement of another employee, Mohit Halduniya, in the suspected conspiracy. According to him, Halduniya used to approach traders, quote rates as instructed by Dipak and facilitate orders and deliveries.

Police said the duo is suspected to have conspired to sell the stock without billing and abscond with the proceeds.

A case of criminal conspiracy and criminal breach of trust has been registered, and an investigation is underway.