Varanasi: Two brothers allegedly duped around 18 jewellers and customers of gold and silver jewellery and cash worth nearly Rs 50 lakh in Atraulia, Azamgarh, by gaining their trust and taking valuables on the pretext of making, repairing or showing ornaments to customers.The accused, Kanhaiya Soni and his brother Monu Soni, residents of Katehari in Ambedkar Nagar, allegedly switched off their mobile phones and disappeared after Raksha Bandhan. Several victims approached Atraulia police station on Monday, seeking recovery of their jewellery and action against the brothers.Rahul Seth, a jeweller from Khanpur Fateh Ward No. 1, alleged that Kanhaiya frequently visited his shop and gained his trust before taking a gold chain, a needle-thread ornament and a locket weighing around 20 grams, claiming he wanted to show them at home. The jewellery was valued at around Rs 2.75 lakh.Rahul Modanwal, who runs a sweet shop in Tejapur, alleged that Kanhaiya took two 15-gram gold chains worth around Rs 2.5 lakh on the pretext of getting jewellery made and promised to return them within 10 days. He allegedly became unreachable after Raksha Bandhan.Another Tejapur resident, Amit Kumar, said he gave Kanhaiya his wife’s broken earrings and anklets for repair and remaking, but the jewellery was never returned and Kanhaiya’s phone was later found switched off.According to the victims, Kanhaiya had lived on rent in Tejapur for nearly two years and, through his gold and utensil-related work, developed close ties with local traders and residents. They alleged that he used this trust to collect jewellery and cash from several people.The victims searched for the brothers at Kanhaiya’s ancestral home in Katehari, his in-laws’ house in Allipur under Nizamabad police station and his aunt’s house, but could not find them. Both brothers are absconding.Atraulia SHO Devendra Nath Dubey said the matter appeared linked to financial dealings that had continued for nearly two years. He said the accused were absconding and the matter would be reported to senior officials. Further action would be taken as per rules after necessary permission.
