Theft/Property — Chicago, IL — reported 2026-07-14
SUMMARY
Two jewelry importers have been charged in federal court in Chicago with smuggling millions of dollars in gold jewelry into the U.S.
KEY FACTS
- Incident type: Theft/Property
- Location: Chicago, IL
- Date reported: 2026-07-14
- Suspect: not stated
- Status: arrest/charge
REPORTED DETAILS
- Narain Gulabani, owner and operator of Barkha Wholesale, brought in nearly $241 million worth of gold jewelry from India and the UAE.
- Barkha falsely claimed the jewelry came from Oman or Singapore to avoid duties.
- The company skirted more than $13.6 million in duties and related fees.
- Raj Kohli and Veena Kohli, who run a California gold jewelry importer, were also charged for avoiding $38 million in customs duties through a similar scheme.