The owner of a renowned chain of jewellery shops was booked on Saturday for allegedly cheating customers in Maharashtra's Thane district, police said.
Several people who had kept gold with the jeweller apart from participating in its fixed deposit and investment schemes found outlets closed during Diwali when they were expecting disbursal of some of the promised returns, Senior Inspector SP Aaher of Dombivali police station said.
"They approached police after which we registered a case of cheating and criminal breach of trust. The jeweller hails from Kerala. The amount involved may run into a few crore rupees as per the complainants," he said.
No arrests have been made so far and further probe was underway, he added.