Mumbai: D B Marg police is looking for two persons who duped a 77-year-old man to the tune of Rs 5.58 lakh. The accused posed as doctors and assured the senior citizen that his diabetes could be cured and duped him, said police officials.
According to DB Marg police officials, in the first week of February, a person named Saurabh Agrawal met the victim outside a Jain temple in Girgaon. Agrawal told the senior citizen that his father was suffering from the same problem, and that a Pune-based doctor named Sameer Punawala had treated him and cured him. Agrawal gave the doctor’s number to the senior citizen and then left the place.
After talking to his family members, the senior citizen called the doctor who told them that he would soon be visiting Mumbai. And that he would visit them at their house when he was in Mumbai.
A few days later the 'doctor' came and as a part of procedure inserted a needle in the victim's leg and removed some pus. He said that he will be charged Rs 2,200 each time and as the victim agreed he removed liquid at least 113 times and charged the senior citizen Rs 2.48 lakh for the procedure. Punawala also prescribed two 'Ayurvedic medicines' and told them to buy them from a particular shop in Nalasopara.
Victim's daughter-in-law then went to the shop twice and bought medicines worth Rs 2.10 lakh. Then Punawala visited the senior citizen once again and this time charged Rs 1 lakh for the procedure. He again prescribed medicines worth Rs 2.20 lakh. But when the victim told him that he needed to borrow money as he did not have so much money, the 'doctor' strictly told the senior citizen not to disclose it to anyone otherwise the medicines won't work.
The fraud was realised when the victim approached one of his family members for money, following which they registered a complaint at D B Marg police station.
"We have registered an offence under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) section for cheating (420) and common intention (34) and our investigation is underway," said Pradeep Khude, senior inspector of D B Marg police station.
