Jeweller denies stealing from customers

A manufacturing jeweller from Cape Town, who is facing multiple charges that include fraud, denies that she stole jewellery from her customers.

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Cape Town - A manufacturing jeweller facing multiple charges that include fraud, denies that she stole jewellery from her customers, a court in Cape Town heard on Thursday.

Ferial Baboet and her husband, Denish Nathoo, owners of the jewellery store Damjee Bros, are on trial in the Specialised Commercial Crime Court in Bellville, on 170 counts, including fraud in which they are alleged to have lodged a fake insurance claim for an alleged faked robbery.

One of the customers, Sabeeha Hamid, told the court she had handed in jewellery, including a ring, at the store for “remodelling”, in preparation for her son’s wedding.

Hamid, an Indian woman, said getting the jewellery prepared for the wedding was the very first thing that had to be done in the Indian communities.

She told the court: “I gave the jewellery to Ferial for remodelling in July, 2011, and she said she would call me as soon as it was ready.

“The wedding was in a few months time, and each time I called her she said the remodelled jewellry was not ready yet.

“While I waited, I got a call from the man working on the ring. He asked if I knew that the store in Cavendish Square (in Cape Town’s southern suburbs) had closed.

“I phoned the shop but got no answer, and then went to the shop, but it was closed.”

Hamid reported her loss to the police, and was invited to a display of jewellery at a police station, to determine whether her jewellery was amongst the exhibits – it was not.

She added: “Baboet was at the display, and I told her that I really needed my jewellery – in our community, jewellery for a wedding has to be attended to before anything else.

“She said there was nothing that she could do about it.”

Questioned by defence advocate Grant Smith, she said she was not aware that jewellery handed in at the store for re modelling was sent to a workshop in Durban.

But she added: “That’s none of my business – she didn’t tell me, and I did not need to know.”

She was asked if she knew, at the time, that there had been a burglary at the jewellery store, and a robbery at the Baboet home.

She replied: “Yes, I heard about both, but it had nothing to do with me.”

The defence said the incidents had landed the couple in difficulties.

She replied: “We also have a business, and also have our difficulties.”

Asked why she went to the police about a business transaction, she replied: “Why would I not – it was not about the money, it was about my jewellery.”

According to the charge sheet, Damjee Bros Jewellers specialised in jewellery design and manufacturing.

The wife ran an outlet in Rylands, while the husband operated a store in the Cavendish Square shopping centre, in Cape Town’s southern suburbs.

Prosecutor Jacques Smith alleges that a case docket was registered by the wife for a robbery at their home that never happened.

Baboet falsely alleged that their home was forcefully entered while they were asleep, and that they were robbed of various items, including the key to the Rylands jewellery store.

It is alleged that they falsely informed the police that the robbers proceeded to the jewellery store, and stole customers’ jewellery worth R900 000.

At the time, the business was insured with the Zurich Insurance Company, against loss or theft at the stores.

They were also insured with the company MUA, for loss of household contents.

It is alleged that they submitted a false R956 021 claim with Zurich, and were paid R758 220, but informed their customers that the claim had been rejected.

Similarly, as a result of a false claim submitted to MUA, they were paid out R292 320.

It is alleged that some of the jewellery which they claimed had been stolen during the bogus robbery, was found in their home and some in one of the stores.

It is alleged that none of the 14 victims received their deposits back, and that the total loss, including the insurance payouts, amounted to R8.3 million.

The case continues on Friday.

African News Agency