Pune: A 68-year-old woman was allegedly cheated of around ₹22 lakh by her neighbour, who is accused of exploiting her lack of financial literacy and the disability of her grandson. The accused allegedly transferred money from her bank account, fraudulently obtained loans against the family's gold, and later threatened her with dire consequences.
The incident took place between September 2025 and August 6, 2026, and was reported at Kothrud Police Station. The complainant, Subhadra Dnyaneshwar Raut (68), a resident of Hanumannagar on Paud Road, has accused her neighbour, Amar Sanjay Shinde (34), of committing the fraud.
According to the police, Raut often sought Shinde's assistance with financial transactions as her grandson is disabled and she found it difficult to handle such matters independently.
In October 2025, ₹13.70 lakh was credited to Raut's bank account following the sale of one of her flats. As she needed money, she visited Cosmos Bank along with her grandson, Nitin Raut, and Shinde, and withdrew ₹35,000.
However, after later obtaining her bank statement, she allegedly discovered that Shinde had taken the signatures of her and her grandson on an NEFT slip and transferred ₹13.30 lakh from their account to the account of his business, Swami Samarth Tours and Travels. Another ₹70,000 was allegedly transferred to the account of Hemlata Dinesh Sarkar on September 25, 2025, using another NEFT slip bearing their signatures.
The family had also entrusted 15 tolas of gold to Shinde to pledge for a loan to meet household expenses. Police said Shinde pledged the gold at a Manappuram Gold Loan branch at Deccan Corner and obtained a loan of ₹8.20 lakh, which he handed over to the complainant's grandson and daughter-in-law.
However, Shinde allegedly later used the same pledged gold to obtain another loan of ₹8 lakh for his personal expenses, causing a total financial loss of around ₹22 lakh to the family.
The complainant has further alleged that Shinde repeatedly threatened to kill her. Based on her complaint, Kothrud police have registered a case against Shinde. Assistant Police Inspector Kadam is investigating the case.
