The district crime branch police have arrested a 29-year-old woman and are on the lookout for three others who are alleged to have cheated at least 65 people in the Nilgiris, by claiming to run a trust that would sanction housing loans for people at minimal interest rates. Police said that the group had cheated more than 200 others in Chennai, as well as in Coimbatore, Pollachi and Palladam using the same modus operandi.
C. Subramanian, Deputy Superintendent of Police, District Crime Branch police, Nilgiris district, said the prime accused in the case, identified as Rubini Priya, 29, a Pollachi resident, had set up an unregistered trust, known as SAWS trust in the Nilgiris and by various other names in other districts with three other persons.
“The group had reportedly told victims that the trust they were running would sanction housing loans for them at minimal interest rates, and charged anywhere between ₹25,000 to ₹65,000 per person as a ‘processing fee’ for the loan,” said Mr. Subramanian. In the Nilgiris alone, the 65 victims are believed to have been cheated out of ₹18 lakh, while 200 other victims in Chennai are said to have lost ₹38 lakhs, said police officials.
The victims, none of whom received any money from the group, approached the Nilgiris district SP with a complaint, who directed the District Crime Branch to investigate. On Tuesday, police charged Rubini Priya and her three associates – Karthik, Venkatesh and Siva -- under section 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) read with 34 of the Indian Penal Code.
Police arrested Rubini Priya and are on the lookout for her three associates. Learning of the arrest, the victims of the fraud thronged the office of the District Crime Branch police in Udhagamandalam to learn whether the money they had been cheated of could be recovered.
