Mumbai: A shocking case of financial fraud has come to light from Lower Parel, where a woman allegedly lured three members of the same family into investing over Rs 1.04 crore by promising attractive returns and has since vanished with the money and gold ornaments.
According to the FIR filed at N.M. Joshi Marg Police Station, the accused woman, Bhakti Khandarkar, along with her husband Akshay, has been booked for duping Nayana Devlekar (49), her husband Mangesh, and daughter Shefali.
The incident began in 2014 when Bhakti, a former neighbor of Nayana in Sion’s Pratiksha Nagar, reconnected with her on Facebook. Claiming to work for the reputed Motilal Oswal company, Bhakti convinced Nayana to invest in a scheme that promised 10% returns. She also recommended investing in a plot of 11 gunthas in Lonavala.
Trusting her, Nayana invested Rs 20 lakh, Mangesh invested Rs 46.5 lakh, and Shefali contributed Rs 40 lakh — totaling Rs 1.065 crore. Additionally, Nayana handed over gold jewelry including two mangalsutras, a gold chain, two bracelets, and bangles — approximately 210 grams in weight — as part of the investment.
Initially, Bhakti returned small amounts, maintaining trust, but soon stopped all repayments. With no return of either money or jewelry, the family realized they had been defrauded and approached the police. A case has been registered against Bhakti and her husband under relevant sections for cheating and financial fraud. The investigation is ongoing.
