Indian loses N$850 000 in diamond scam

An Indian businessman is battling to get justice after being duped into coming to Namibia, where he was defrauded of close to a million Namibian dollars when he bought semi-precious stones that he thought were uncut diamonds. Diwakar Dhyani has approached Interpol, the Indian police as well his country’s embassy in Namibia after his ordeal, which started with an internet search for African rough diamond suppliers. Relating his tale to Namibian Sun from New Delhi in India, Dhyani said he lost the equivalent of N$850 000 in US dollars after coming to Windhoek to do business with a man who identified himself as ‘Sanko Kono’ from the ‘Diamond Trading Company’ that is allegedly located at 38 Calcium Street, Prosperita Windhoek. In subsequent correspondence and dealings with Kono other company names were also mentioned. Dhyani said Kono had told him he had many diamond companies. Ironically, Kono had later applied for Dhyani’s visa to Namibia, but this was done under another business name of Green Coal. Dhyani was told that if he was asked at the airport what his purpose in Namibia was he should say he was coming to discuss charcoal business with Green Coal. Dhyani, who is a partner in a diamond cutting and polishing company in his home country, arrived in Windhoek on December 31 last year and booked into the Windhoek Country Club Resort and Casino. There he met ‘Kuno’ and another man who identified himself as ‘George Melume’. The two men then took him to an office located at a home in Cimbebasia, where Dhyani says they showed him 10 000 carats worth of ‘diamonds’. He selected 300 carats worth of ‘diamonds’ to the value of about US$70 000. Dhyani paid US$24 000 to the two men on January 1 and afterwards the balance was collected from his girlfriend in China. Throughout the transaction he was assured that the correct papers and licences would be provided to him to take the ‘diamonds’ out of the country and that the entire process was legal. During the following days Dhyani started to experience more problems with obtaining the documents as the two men kept telling him that the process was taking longer than anticipated. According to him his flight was booked for January 5 and by January 4 the men had stopped taking his calls. Growing more and more desperate, he begged them to take his calls, but started to think twice about the authenticity of the diamonds. Finally, when Dhyani was about to leave for Namibia, Kono called him. “They called me to say sorry and told me that they would send the documents when I was at the airport,” said Dhyani. By that time Dhyani said he was already 90% sure that the diamonds were fake. He put the stones in his pocket and walked through the airport scanners without any problems. Back in India the ‘diamonds’ were tested at the Indian Gemological Institute in New Delhi, which found that they were pieces of topaz that had been shaped to appear like rough diamonds. However, the tale does not end there. He contacted the men again and was told that his gems were probably mixed up with someone else’s and that they would deliver the real diamonds to him in Dubai. Again their phones went unanswered after the meeting was arranged. Still empty handed and frustrated, Dhyani was later contacted by Melume to schedule another meeting in Bangkok. With no other choice and getting wary of the men, he asked for proof that they were coming and Melume even sent him a flight ticket. But on the day of the meeting he was called and told that Melume was arrested at Johannesburg with diamonds. “I could clearly hear that the police officer was Kono pretending to be the police and when I said something they disconnected the phone.” Dhyani said he has not been in contact with the men since then. “I was under the impression that I had gone to meet professional people from a company in Namibia. But I realised that when they stopped picking up their phones that it was likely that the diamonds were fake. If they were real and it was a real company they would not have had these prolonged problems in providing me with the documents for the diamonds.” Dhyani said he has been in touch with Interpol, who advised him to make a case with the local police and to try and get help from the Indian Embassy in Namibia. “I have already lost my money, but there are thousands of people still getting crooked in the same way. I want people to be aware of these scams that are happening so that they know not to fall for these crimes.” All the cellphone numbers belonging to ‘Kono’ and ‘Melume’ that were provided to Namibian Sun were either disconnected or there was no answer. The Namibian Police did not respond to questions Namibian Sun sent about the case. WINDHOEK ELLANIE SMIT