A case has been filed against the owners of a diamond factory in Surat after a group of diamond workers reported unpaid salaries amounting to Rs 10.41 lakh. The complaint submitted to the Katargam Police last week led to an investigation that resulted in charges against the owners of Virani Diamonds, brothers Amit and Viren Virani, who are now reportedly in hiding.
The initial inquiry, conducted by Katargam Police on Tuesday night, resulted in a case registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Charges include Section 316(2) for criminal breach of trust, Section 352 for intentional insults likely to incite a breach of public peace and Section 351(3) for criminal intimidation.
The complaint was filed by Nikunj Soni, a diamond cutter and polisher from Amroli, who had been employed by the company for the past two years. According to Soni’s FIR, the company had introduced a scheme in which workers were encouraged to forgo their monthly salaries from July or August until October, with the promise of receiving their due payments plus a bonus by the end of the period. Soni and several other employees waited until October, hoping to receive their wages along with the promised bonus.
On October 16, the company’s manager, Rajendra Chauhan, reportedly contacted the workers, instructing them to collect their salaries and bonuses at the company premises on October 20. However, when nine workers arrived, they found the premises locked. They then went to the residence of Amit Virani, where they found his brother Viren. According to the FIR, Viren informed them that Amit had left with the money and allegedly threatened the workers when they demanded their wages.
Efforts by police to locate the brothers have so far been unsuccessful. Katargam Police Inspector B.K. Chaudhary commented on the case, stating, “After preliminary investigation, we have established that the firm’s owners failed to honour the scheme they offered to their diamond polishers. The unpaid wages of Rs 10.41 lakh remain outstanding, and the whereabouts of the owners are still unknown. We have launched a search and are also questioning their associates to gather further leads.”
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