Vadodara: The family members of Hitesh Soni, a jewellery manufacturer from Thasra in Kheda, have alleged that he was kidnapped and murdered by another jewellery manufacturer, Kaushal Soni, who is a resident of Harni Road in the city. Hitesh Soni’s family says that he was kidnapped and assaulted on June 8. On the other hand, before Hitesh Soni died, Kaushal Soni registered a complaint of cheating against him at the Wadi police station on Saturday midnight.
Hitesh Soni died during treatment at Jamnabai Hospital in the wee hours of Sunday. He had reached there late on Saturday night on his own, police said.
Hitesh Soni’s father, Kirit Soni, has told the police that when his son was at his aunt’s place at Raopura on June 8, Kaushal Soni reached there and took his son with him to his jewellery shop. The duo had a business relationship for 10 years. Police said that Hitesh Soni did not return home after that but called his father from an unknown number late on Saturday night to inform him that he has been kept under confinement by Kaushal Soni and his cousin and that the duo had severely beaten him.
Kirit Soni rushed to Vadodara and approached Raopura police, but was sent to Karelibaug police station where he registered a complaint of kidnapping and assault against Kaushal Soni and his cousin on Saturday midnight.
At the same time, an FIR of cheating was registered against Hitesh Soni at the Wadi police station. Kaushal Soni told police that on June 7 Hitesh Soni had approached him with an offer to buy gold worth Rs 4 lakh from a jeweller in Nizampura. Hitesh Soni apparently asked Kaushal Soni to pay the money and also told him that he would give him the gold.
The duo went to buy the gold on the same day, but on returning to Kaushal Soni’s shop at Ghadiyali Pol in Mandvi, they found the gold jewellery to be fake. According to Kaushal Soni’s complaint, they had decided to meet again on June 8 to settle the deal, but Hitesh Soni did not turn up. Hitesh Soni’s father has said that Kaushal Soni had taken his son on his bike on June 8, but Kaushal Soni has said that Hitesh Soni came to his shop only on Saturday.
Kaushal Soni said that when he wanted to settle the deal, Hitesh Soni hurled abuses at him. Kaushal Soni said then he went to the Wadi police station to file a complain. Kaushal Soni has said in his complaint that Hitesh Soni was coming to the Wadi police station too at the time. He said that Hitesh Soni was travelling to the police station in an auto-rickshaw and went to Jamnabai Hospital when he started feeling sick.
“It is difficult to say whether Hitesh Soni died due to injuries or natural reasons,” said D B Valvi, police inspector, Karelibaug police station. “We are waiting for the report of the postmortem.” He said that the police are questioning Kaushal Soni and his cousin and are yet to arrest them.