Mumbai, March 23: The Mumbai Police recently booked a 40-year-old woman for allegedly siphoning off Rs 9.74 lakh from her 94-year-old grandmother's Fixed Deposit. The incident came to light after the victim lodged a complaint against her granddaughter on Thursday, March 14. The victim stated that her granddaughter took her signatures on three RTGS forms on the pretext of updating her KYC (Know Your Customer) form.
According to a report in the Hindustan Times, the accused woman identified as Poonam Bhandari allegedly transferred a total of Rs 9.74 lakh from her grandmother's three fixed deposits into her account. During the investigation, police learned that Poonam who lives in Uttarakhand came to Mumbai in December 2020 to meet her father who was not keeping well. Mumbai: Ghatkopar-Based Businessman Forges Documents and Signature, Cheats Friend of 20 Years to Tune of Rs 52 Lakh; Booked.
Back then, she stayed in the city for two to three months. In December 2020, Poonam informed her grandmother, Khashtidevi Paansingh Bhakuni, that the KYC of her account in Abhyudaya Bank needed to be updated. As Poonam was her granddaughter, the complainant did not suspect any foul play and visited the ban with her.
The duo went to Abhyudaya Bank in Ghatkopar West. However, as the complainant was unable to walk, Poonam completed all the formalities while her grandmother sat in the auto-rickshaw. Poonam allegedly took Bhakuni's signatures on a few forms for "updating KYC". A few minutes later, the accused brought three more forms and asked her grandmother to sign them.
At the same time, a bank employee who was standing next to her tried to alert Bhakuni but she did not suspect any foul play. The alleged incident came to light when Bhakuni asked her elder and younger son to give her money to visit their native place. On his mother's instructions, her son, Harish went to the bank to withdraw money from her account. Mumbai: Three Arrested for Defrauding Traders, Farmers To The Tune of Rs 26 Crore.
Over there, he learned that the money in the three fixed deposits was withdrawn. After speaking to the bank manager, Harish discovered that the money was transferred to Poonam's bank. He immediately reached home and informed his mother who confronted Poonam. Later, she promised to return all money and left for Uttarakhand. As she did not return the money, in 2022, the complainant filed a case against her granddaughter.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 23, 2024 05:13 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).