Mumbai Police Book Four for Fraudulently Selling Elderly Woman’s Properties and Stealing Gold

The Nehru Nagar police have booked four individuals for allegedly cheating a 77-year-old woman of Rs 2.26 crore by fraudulently selling her properties and stealing gold ornaments from her home. According to the police, the victim, who lived alone and suffered from age-related health issues, including cataract, was manipulated by the accused into signing documents.

Police stated that one of the accused convinced the woman to sign an affidavit, claiming it was required for a passport application. Using those documents, the accused allegedly sold not only her flat but also the flat owned by her younger sister, who passed away in 2018. No arrests have been made in the case yet.

The case was registered by the victim’s 49-year-old cousin, Aparna Warekar, a resident of Mahalaxmi. She discovered the fraud in March during a visit to the victim’s residence, where she noticed that gold ornaments were missing. Upon further investigation, she found that the accused had also sold properties belonging to the victim located in Virar, Thane, and Belapur.

The complainant stated that her two maternal cousins, Jayashree Chavan (77) and Ashalata Chavan, were both unmarried and lived together in Nehru Nagar, Kurla (East). Ashalata, who had worked as a clerk in a private firm, passed away in 2018. Jayashree, a retired telephone operator from Mazgaon Dock, lived alone after her sister’s death.

The complainant said she was aware that both sisters had invested in real estate and had also purchased gold and silver, which was stored in a cupboard at home. She mentioned that a neighbor, Arif Solanki, used to visit and assist Jayashree with daily needs.

Suspicion arose during Aparna’s March visit when she found the cupboard empty and came across an affidavit indicating that Ashalata’s flat in Virar had been sold to one Jalaluddin Rafiq Shaikh at a price much lower than the market rate. Further inquiries revealed that Jayashree’s Aadhaar was linked to a phone number belonging to one Akbar Saudagar.

Jayashree, who was found in a poor state suffering memory loss and blurry vision, was hospitalized. Doctors diagnosed her with cataract in both eyes, a condition she had for several years. After undergoing surgery, her vision and memory improved. According to the FIR, once informed by the complainant about the property transactions, Jayashree denied having sold any properties or signing any affidavits.

The FIR further states that her Belapur property was also fraudulently sold in 2022. One of the accused reportedly obtained an inheritance certificate for Ashalata from a Vasai court using false documents and sold her flat in Virar. Additional properties in Thane were also allegedly sold without Jayashree’s knowledge.

The victim has maintained in her statement that she never sold any of her properties nor issued any power of attorney. One of the accused is also alleged to have transferred funds from her bank account into his own.