Nirav Modi sold fake diamonds to Canadian national, his engagement is now broken
New Delhi : Jeweller Nirav Modi, who is wanted in a multi-crore banking fraud in India, allegedly sold fake diamond rings to a Canadian national that cost him US$200,000, his girlfriend and also pushed him into depression.
According to a report in the South China Morning Post, Paul Alfonso, who had no clue Modi was involved in a US$2 billion fraud at India’s Punjab National Bank, bought two rings from the diamantaire in Hong Kong to propose to his girlfriend. Their celebration was cut short after the duo found out that the diamonds were fake.
According to the report, Alfonso met Nirav Modi in 2012 at the centennial celebrations for the Beverly Hills Hotel in 2012. Months later, they ran into each other in Malibu and dined together. Adding that Modi was giving him “pep talk, kind of an older brother figure,” Alfonso, who is the chief executive of a payment processing company, said he felt a “good connection” with Modi. “In a way, I admired him and I looked up to him.”
A couple of years passed without any communication between the duo. In April this year, Alfonso, utterly unaware of the financial irregularities cases listed against Modi, mailed the diamond jeweller asking for “special” engagement ring at a budget of US$100,000 to propose to his girlfriend. On offer from Modi was a “perfect” 3.2-carat round brilliant diamond cut, D colour, VVS1 – a high-quality grade and colourless stone at US $120,000. “Thank you for thinking of me when you’re making one of the most meaningful purchases in any man’s life,” Modi wrote after Paul Alfonso approved the design.
Alfonso’s girlfriend, however, expressed interest in another ring prompting him to order a second ring – a 2.5 carat oval diamond for US$80,000 from Modi. After Alfonso wired the money for both rings to a Hong Kong account, he received the rings from Modi’s assistant Ari in June. The invoice and authenticity certificates were to be wired soon. Alfonso who was ecstatic with the “absolutely gorgeous” jewellery, proposed to his girlfriend with both rings. The answer was “yes”.
Both Alfonso and his fiancee wanted the rings to be insured, but the certificates had still not arrived. Feeling “uncomfortable,” he wrote to Modi reminding him of the same. Several emails followed, with Modi providing more assurances that the certificates were on their way.
In August, Alfonso was in for a rude shock when his fiancee, who took the rings to an appraiser, found that the stones were fake. “When she told me, I was like ‘That’s impossible. I spent US$200,000 on those rings. There’s no way they are fake. It’s Nirav we are talking about’.”
Another shock followed when he read the news about Modi’s bankrupt companies and loan defaults. “I am usually very careful when I am dealing with a big transaction like this, but again, this is Nirav. I would not imagine him trying to take a few hundred thousand from me when a guy is worth millions of dollars.”
His fiancee broke up with him soon after. “We broke up literally after one or two days … It was just too much for both of us to handle. It does not make sense to her, because she says: ‘You are a pretty smart guy, how did you let someone scam you out of US$200,000 without making sure the transaction was legitimate?’” Alfonso told the South China Morning Post.
Alfonso slipped into depression and said, “after that, I could not function”. In an angry email to Modi on August 13, Alfonso wrote, “Do you have any idea what kind of pain you’ve cost me and my now ex-fiancée? … You’ve completely ruined such a wonderful occasion for me and her. You’ve ruined my life.”
He has now filed an unlimited civil lawsuit against Modi with the Superior Court of California, suing him for US$4.2 million dollars. That includes US$200,000 for the value of the rings, US$1 million for punitive damages and another US$3 million dollars for emotional distress, pain and suffering. The hearing is scheduled for January next year.
Alfonso, however, realises it too well that his case may take years to be resolved. “I realised that even if I go after this guy, there are so many creditors before me who are trying to get compensated.” Still, in disbelief, Alfonso says, “I want people to know that this man can’t be trusted …He doesn’t just steal from banks. He will steal from you too because his fortune has gone up in smoke.”
courtesy : indianexpress.com
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Allahabad HC sets aside maintenance order in favour of earning wife, says she didn't tell truth
Prayagraj (PTI): The Allahabad High Court has set aside a lower court order mandating a man to pay maintenance to his estranged wife, observing that she earns her living and did not reveal the true salary in her affidavit.
Justice Madan Pal Singh also allowed a criminal revision petition filed by the man, Ankit Saha.
"A perusal of the impugned judgment indicates that in the affidavit filed before the trial court, the opposite party herself admitted that she is a post-graduate and a web designer by qualification. She is working as a senior sales coordinator in a company and getting a salary of Rs 34,000 per month," the court said in the December 3 order.
"But in her cross-examination, she has admitted that she was earning Rs 36,000 per month. Such an amount for a wife who has no other liability cannot be said to be meagre; whereas the man has the responsibility of maintaining his aged parents and other social obligations," it observed.
The high court observed that the woman was not entitled to get any maintenance from her husband "as she is an earning lady and able to maintain herself".
The man's counsel argued in court that the estranged wife did not reveal the whole truth in the affidavit.
"She claimed herself to be an illiterate and unemployed woman. When the document filed by the man was shown to her before the trial court, she admitted her income during cross-examination. Thus, it is clear that she did not come before the trial court with clean hands," the counsel submitted.
The court, in its order, said, "Cases of those litigants who have no regard for the truth and those who indulge in suppressing material facts need to be thrown out of the court."
It impugned the lower court's February 17 judgment and order, passed by the principal judge of a family court in Gautam Buddh Nagar and allowed the criminal revision petition filed by the man.
