31 December,2024 07:31 AM IST | Mumbai | Shirish Vaktania
A CCTV grab of the accused woman accompanying Jayaben Gandhi; (right) The accused woman
An 82-year-old woman was duped of jewellery worth lakhs under the pretext of taking a photograph to avail of benefits under a welfare scheme for senior citizens. The accused woman lured the victim by telling her about a scheme and took her in a taxi from Malad to Dadar where she fled with the jewellery. The Kurar police have registered an FIR and started investigating the case.
Jayaben Gandhi, a resident of the Kurar area in Malad East, went to a local Jain temple for prayers around 9 am on Sunday. After leaving the temple at about 10.30 am, she was approached by a woman aged around 40 years. The woman offered her some âprasad' and told her about a welfare scheme for senior citizens. She then asked Gandhi to sit in an auto-rickshaw, taking her to a taxi stand near Shantaram Lake.
The woman then took Gandhi in a taxi towards Dadar, continuing to tell her about a government scheme for senior citizens that provided Rs 60,000 in cash. She further mentioned that Gandhi would need to have her photograph taken to avail of the scheme. However, she claimed that wearing jewellery might disqualify Gandhi from receiving the benefits and asked her to temporarily hand over the items, promising to return them after the photograph was taken.
A police officer said, "Trusting the woman, Gandhi handed over her jewellery worth R2.6 lakh. Upon reaching the vicinity of Shiv Sena Bhavan in Dadar, the woman stopped the taxi and asked Gandhi to wait near a shop. She assured her she would return in two minutes but fled the scene."
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After waiting a long time, Gandhi realised she had been deceived. With the help of a shopkeeper in the vicinity, she called her son and narrated the incident. Subsequently, Gandhi's son took her to Kurar police station where a complaint about the theft of 65 gram of gold jewellery was lodged.
In the past, there have been instances of women befriending and duping senior citizens near places of worship and areas frequented by morning and evening walkers.
Rs 2.6L
Value of gold jewellery stolen
