Elderly woman in Thane duped of Rs 24 lakh; 7 booked

Thane, Nov 17 (PTI) A 70-year-old woman from Maharashtra's Thane district has allegedly been cheated of Rs 24.6 lakh by seven persons who invoked a godman's name and conducted a fake 'havan' to deceive her, police said on Monday.

Based on the victim's complaint, the police have registered a case against the seven persons, including some women, they said.

According to the victim, who lives alone in the Ulhasnagar area, one of the accused women befriended her and took Rs 10 lakh from her under the pretext of arranging a house for her, an official from Vitthalwadi police station said.

When the victim demanded her money back, the woman and the other accused invoked a godman's name and told her that a 'havan' (fire ritual) was necessary to "remove obstacles" before repayment, he said.

Believing them, the victim handed over her gold and diamond jewellery and cash to them for the ritual.

On November 11, during the ritual, the accused asked the victim to place the ornaments into a pot.

"They then offered her prasad which, according to the complaint, was laced with a narcotic substance. Once she became unconscious, the accused fled with around 20 grams of gold, diamonds and other valuables," the official said.

The victim alleged that she faced losses of Rs 24.6 lakh in the fraud, he said.

The police have registered a case against the seven accused under sections 318(4) (cheating), 123 (causing hurt by means of poison), 316(2) (criminal breach of trust) and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the official said. PTI COR GK