Men Stage Robbery For Elmhurst Cops, Say $2M In Jewelry Stolen: Police

ELMHURST, IL – Two men have been arrested after they falsely claimed to Elmhurst police that millions of dollars in jewelry were stolen in an armed robbery, authorities said.

Pezhman Gilani Yahyavi, 46, of Glendale Heights, and Mahmood Bashang, 30, of Naperville, were both charged with felony disorderly conduct by filing a false crime report, police said.

About 6:30 p.m. Sunday, at the direction of Gilani Yahyavi, Bashang called 911 after Gilani Yahyava purposely drove his car off the road in an attempt to stage an armed robbery, according to a news release from DuPage County prosecutors.

Bashang told a dispatcher that they were jewelry vendors on their way home from a jewelry show in Rosemont, prosecutors said.

Bashang also said three people robbed them of about $1.5 million to $2 million worth of jewelry, consisting mostly of 14K gold, the news release said.

"The investigation revealed that two men intentionally fabricated a highway robbery scene and contacted authorities, prompting a full-scale response," Elmhurst Police Chief Michael McLean said in the news release. "Officers, detectives and emergency personnel from Elmhurst, Bensenville and Rosemont committed significant time and resources to what was ultimately determined to be a scheme to enrich themselves."

The men were released because the charge against them is not detainable under Illinois law.