Ahead of Diwali, tensions are brewing up in the diamond discourse of Surat as bank accounts of over 50 enterprises were frozen by police of other states during this month. Around ₹500 crore have been stuck in the accounts that were frozen.
According to information received from industry leaders, in the last 10-15 days, more than 50 diamond and jewellery industry entrepreneurs’ bank accounts have been frozen by the police of states including Maharashtra, Karnataka and West Bengal. This has resulted in the freezing of an estimated amount of more than₹500 crore in these bank accounts.
The diamond and jewellery industrialists even requested C R Patil and Union Home Minister Amit Shah regarding the frozen accounts.
According to the businesspersons, police often call and try to extort money for unfreezing the accounts.
Dinesh Navdiya, president of Surat Diamond Association, stated that C R Patil has been informed about the companies whose accounts have been frozen. Two files have been prepared to provide detailed information on the matter. However, due to Patil’s unavailability, a formal request was made to State Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi to address the situation.