MUMBAI, Sept. 30 -- A special court on Monday rejected the bail pleas of a father-son duo of bullion traders who had allegedly cheated a city businessman of 36.37 kg of gold and Rs.10.51 crore cash. In August 2025, a partner of FIVE Bullions, a bullion trading company in Zaveri Bazar, filed a complaint that Ladulal Kanther, 55, his son, Pallav Kanther, 26, and his nephew had duped him and his family of nearly Rs.43 crore through illegal dabba trading, a form trading outside the purview of stock exchanges and regulatory bodies. The father-son duo was arrested in August and remain at Arthur Road Jail. In 2023, lured by promises of high returns, the complainant and his relatives invested around 36.4 kg of gold and Rs.10.51 crore cash between 2023 and 2024. In June 2024, when they demanded their money back, the Kanthers admitted they had diverted the gold and money to illegal dabba trading and gave the complainant a written promise to repay Rs.33.25 crore and issued cheques too, many of which bounced. Representatives of the accused argued that the complainant had given "a purely civil dispute a criminal colour", but special judge VD Kedar noted, "the accused, without the knowledge and consent of the informant, invested the amount in dabba trading which clearly indicates their dishonest intention." The court held that since the investigation was still ongoing, with "international trading connections", releasing the duo could hamper the probe....