The LT Marg police revealed that Vaibhav Thakar, arrested on December 7 for allegedly cheating a Zaveri Bazaar jeweller of Rs 2.8 crore, had previously been involved in a Rs 200-crore gold trading case investigated by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI). After securing bail in that case last year, Thakar traveled to Goa, met Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, and donated 31 laptops to the Goa Police.
Thakar, produced in court on December 8, has been remanded in police custody until December 12, officials confirmed. Investigators said he posed as a senior officer from the Maharashtra Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) to gain the trust of jeweller Shailesh Jain, claiming he could leverage his “official influence” to secure gold from Customs auctions. Following this, Jain allegedly transferred nearly Rs 3 crore to Thakar. Police have registered a case against Thakar and three others, but Thakar is believed to be the main accused.
Authorities also revealed that Thakar had allegedly forged a bogus identification card in the name of an MLA’s personal assistant, possibly to gain entry to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. This is reportedly part of his pattern of impersonation and influence-peddling to access government premises, officials, and potential victims.
Following the jeweller’s complaint, LT Marg police had been searching for Thakar for several weeks before arresting him. Police suspect more victims may emerge and have urged anyone who may have been cheated to contact the authorities. Senior Police Inspector Nitin Tadakhe noted that additional fraudulent activities linked to Thakar could come to light as he remains in custodial interrogation.
