Mumbai: Elderly widow loses Rs 85.6 lakh in two-year-long con job

Representative images

Lured with the benefits of an unclaimed policy worth Rs 2.13 crore belonging to her deceased husband, a 76-year-old woman from Colaba lost Rs 85.6 lakh, over a period of two years.

According to the police, Zarine Patel, resident of Khusro Baug, Colaba lost her husband in 2000.

In November 2020, Patel received a call from a woman identifying herself as Payal Dubey. The woman told her that there was an unclaimed policy of her husband, and that she could claim it. At the time, Patel told her that she wasn't interested in the policy.

After a few days, Payal called again, and told Patel that if she claimed the policy she would get Rs 2.13 crore.

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After Patel expressed interest, a women identifying herself as Swati Singh reached out to her, and informed that she'd have to pay stamp charges, and state transaction charges to claim the total amount. "Lured by the prospect of earning money, the old woman began depositing money in the account given by Singh," an official from the Colaba Police said.

Between February 2021 and March 2023, Patel transferred Rs 85,60,716 to the account numbers shared by the women claiming to be employees of IMGS Insurance Company. "Even after paying so much money, the women kept asking her for more money. The victim then called her personal investment advisor, who immediately raised a red flag," said another police officer.

Patel then rushed to Colaba Police Station and registered a complaint against the unidentified women. "An offence has been registered against unknown persons under IPC Sections 419 (cheating by personation), 420 (cheating), 34 (common intention) and relevant sections of the IT Act on Saturday," a senior official said.

Rs 2.13cr
Amount Zarine Patel was promised by the conwomen