She claimed the diamond delivered to her was a lab-grown stone manufactured using Chemical Vapour Deposition (CVD

Published on: Aug 22, 2026, 08:09:30 IST

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MUMBAI: A French woman has alleged that a ₹98-lakh natural diamond she bought from a BKC-based jewellery firm in 2023 was not the stone delivered to her in Paris nearly 18 months later, prompting the police to register an FIR against the director of Sheetal Solitaire LLP, identified as Rimesh Shah. She claimed the diamond delivered to her was a lab-grown stone manufactured using Chemical Vapour Deposition (CVD).

The complainant, Malika Aftisi, 38, a Paris resident, visited Mumbai as a tourist in August 2023 and selected a 5.05-carat IGI-certified round-cut and polished diamond from the firm’s office at Bharat Diamond Bourse. She paid ₹98 lakh for it and was told that the diamond would be delivered to her Paris address.

According to her complaint, Aftisi did not receive the diamond even a month after returning to Paris. She remained in touch with the firm’s representative, who later told her to collect the diamond from Milan, Italy.

Police said an Italian representative subsequently asked her to pay another ₹44 lakh as VAT for the diamond to be delivered to her address. Aftisi allegedly said she had not been informed about additional VAT, delivery, courier or shipment charges when she purchased the diamond and threatened to approach the police.

“She claimed that she was not told about any such delivery charges, VAT or courier/shipment charges while purchasing the diamond. She told them she will complain to the police,” said a police officer.

She then submitted an application at the BKC police station on November 7, 2023, police said. In February 2025, the diamond was eventually delivered to her Paris address. However, Aftisi allegedly suspected that the stone was not the one she had purchased and had it examined at the Laboratoire Français de Gemmologie. The laboratory reportedly found it to be a synthetic diamond manufactured using Chemical Vapour Deposition (CVD), police said.

Aftisi later appointed lawyer Mangesh Bhosale as her legal representative. Following this, Bhosale filed a complaint based on which the FIR against Shah was registered under Section 318 (cheating) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

Meanwhile, the jewellery firm has denied the allegations. Veer Gandhi, an executive at Sheetal Solitaire LLP, said the diamond was shipped through Customs and that consignments are checked by authorities, including whether the description matches the transaction documents. Gandhi maintained that the diamond Aftisi purchased was tested by two well-known laboratories and was shipped to her.

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