The Colaba police have booked a caregiver for siphoning off Rs 6.75 lakh rupees from Padma Shri awardee Dr Mithu Alur, a renowned disability rights activist, and her daughter Malini Chib’s bank account. The caregiver had overheard the PIN of a debit card and had allegedly passed it to her friend who used this knowledge to withdraw money at regular intervals. When the family suspected the involvement of the caregiver, she was taken to the police station and eventually spilt the beans.

On January 22, when Dr Mithu Alur’s husband Sathi Alur checked the balance of the bank account, which was opened in Dr Mithu Alur and Malini Chib’s name, he saw it was Rs 56,314. Malini Chib, also a disability rights activist, is an author who has cerebral palsy. The activist’s son Nikhil Chib, 51, was shocked as the balance should have been around Rs 8-Rs 9 lakh. When Nikhil examined bank statements, he found there transactions worth Rs 6.75 lakh had been made since December 2022. The bank said the money was withdrawn via a debit card.