A 59-year-old woman was cheated of Rs. 2.30 lakh by her foster son and his father-in-law. The duo stole her ATM card and withdrew the money in regular intervals.
Officers with the Bank Fraud Wing of the Central Crime Branch said the victim, Sushila Kumari, a retired school teacher and a resident of Officer’s Colony in Adambakkam met the prime suspect A. Rajkumar (33) of Nanganallur, six years ago at a prayer meeting. He realised that she suffered from severe heart problems and lived with her octogenarian mother and befriended her on the pretext of offering help. He later helped the women on a number of occasions.
“Sushila Kumari accepted Rajkumar as her foster son by baptising him at a church. She bought him a new motorcycle and gave him a loan of Rs. 3 lakh. She also rented out her house in Tiruvallur to his father-in-law F. Arpudaraj free of cost,” said B. Gopinath, sub-inspector of CCB, the investigating officer for the case.
After ensuring that the woman had complete faith in him, Rajkumar took her ATM card from her handbag three months ago. When Sushila Kumari noticed her card missing, Rajkumar convinced her that some unidentified person had entered the house and stolen the card. He even helped her lodge a police complaint.
Sushila Kumari’s brother Pragueraj suspected foul play and lodged a complaint with the office of the Commissioner of Police. The Bank Fraud Wing team found that Rajkumar had stolen the card and along with Arpudaraj, withdrawn a total of Rs. 2.30 lakh. Rajkumar and Arpudaraj were arrested on Thursday, remanded in custody and sent to Puzhal prison.
