A Surat diamond trader — under heavy debt after having incurred heavy losses in business— has couriered his wife’s jewellery, diamonds, papers of his investments, bungalow and office and keys of his car and house to the Surat Diamond Association (SDA), asking it to dispose of his assets and pay money-lenders.
Identified as Amrut Teja Prajapati, the trader has debts amounting to Rs 4.68 crore.
In Surat’s diamond market where instances of traders doing a vanishing act on debtors are commonplace, Prajapati’s move is without precedent, said police.
According to details, on Tuesday morning an angadia dropped off a parcel at the SDA office. When SDA president opened the parcel, he found the valuables and the papers along with a note from Prajapati requesting the SDA to dispose of his assets and pay his debtors. “As Prajapati is not even a member of the association, his request took us by surprise,” said SDA president C P Vanani.
“When we went to his office using the keys he sent us we found papers with names of all his 27 debtors. His office alone is worth Rs 30 lakh. The diamonds are worth Rs 30 lakh,” said SDA president C P Vanani.
“We will now place advertisements in newspapers asking his debtors to see us. We are also trying to contact Prajapati through his relatives,” added Vanani.
Prajapati hails from North Gujarat’s Patan village in Unjha taluka and had come to Surat about 12 years ago and established his shop at Mahidharpura diamond market. Two years later he shifted base here along with his wife and two school going children.
His neighbour at Rander’s Giriraj Society, Kamlesh Patodia recalls him as a soft-spoken gentleman. “We all knew he was quite successful in his diamond trade. He would relate stories of his days of struggle when he first landed here. He left on Sunday with his wife and kids, telling us he was not coming back. He did not give us any reason.”
So far no police case has been registered against Vanani. All his debtors have been called for a meeting with SDA officials on Tuesday.
According to police records, 36 incidents of ‘uthantari’ (fleeing the market causing losses to debtors), mostly from Varachha and Mahidharpura, have been registered by Surat police during 2007 alone.