India, April 6 -- A 46-year-old gold ornament designer, who allegedly duped over 20 jewellers of around 2 kg of gold bars and cash after incurring heavy losses in MCX gold futures trading, has been arrested by the Thane Crime Branch from Rajasthan, police said.

The accused, identified as Jeewaram Wardhaji Chaudhari, had been absconding since October last year. He was apprehended last week from Rajasthan after a prolonged search operation.

Chaudhari had been in the business of designing and manufacturing gold ornaments for over two decades and had built a strong reputation among jewellers in Thane and Bhiwandi. He operated a design unit near Naupada police station in Thane and employed 15-20 workers.

According to police officials, retai...