Five goldsmiths from here were on Wednesday booked for allegedly cheating a Chennai-based jeweller of `5.18 crore, in two separate cases.
Madurai City Police have registered cases of cheating and theft against them.
Police said both complaints were filed by Rajesh (34), son of Sitharmal, a wholesale gold and silver jewels merchant and resident of Veerappan Street, Sowcarpet, Chennai. In the first instance, the accused, Chotta Sait, Suresh, Subash and Siddharth, approached Rajesh, seeking work.
Over a period of time, Rajesh handed over silver bars, weighing a total of 1,195 kg, to the four goldsmiths for making the ornaments.
However, Rajesh claimed, the accused returned neither the silver, nor the finished ornaments. In a similar complaint, Rajesh claimed he supplied 358 kg of silver bars to another goldsmith, Muralitharan. He too allegedly cheated Rajesh in a similar manner. South Gate Police registered two separate cases. All the accused, who were now absconding, have workshops in the South Gate area, police said.