Silver trader loses 1.3cr in online gambling

Rajkot: A silver trader and his father were held at gunpoint after the trader incurred huge losses in online gambling and was unable to repay his debt.
The Detection of Crime Branch (DCB) filed a complaint against three persons — Uttam Viradiya, Smit Sakhiya, and Ravi Vekariya — under IPC Sections 386, 506 (2) and the Arms Act on Tuesday.

According to police, Prince Thummar was involved in online gambling since September 2023 and had lost Rs 1.37 crore to Viradiya.Though Thummar had repaid Rs 71.50 lakh, Viradiya pressured Thummar to pay the remaining amount.
In January, Viradiya visited Thummar’s factory and asked him to pay his debt to Vekariya and Sakhiya. Police said that Viradiya had engaged the other two accused to collect the money on his behalf.
Vekariya allegedly threatened Thummar, saying that failure to pay will have consequences and that Thummar will not be able to continue his business.
He also gave him a three-day deadline to pay the money.
“Two days later, Thumar along with his father Manojbhai visited Vekariya and Sakhiya to buy more time to pay the money. But Sakhiya put them on a gunpoint and threatened to kill them if they fail to pay within the given deadline,” said police.
The threats persisted until May, prompting the father and the son to seek help from a politician who asked his trusted man at Rajkot Taluka police station to resolve the issue.
The Rajkot Taluka police station did not have jurisdiction over the case but officers attempted to mediate in the matter.
When senior police officials became aware of the situation, they filed a complaint at the DCB police station.