Pune Camp: Bogus doctor dupes 77-year-old woman of Rs 20 lakh on pretext of curing back pain

Pune: Cantonment police have booked three persons on charges of cheating a 77-year-old woman from Camp area on the pretext of curing her back pain. The incident took place near Kayani Bakery on December 12, but came to light recently.

Usha Narayansingh Gidwani (77), a resident of Shirin Apartment at Synagogue Street in Camp has filed a complaint against three suspects in this regard. Based on her complaint, Cantonment police have booked one person named Dr Feroz Patel, his assistant and another man whose identity is yet to be ascertained.

According to police, Usha Gidwani is a retired clerk from the Jaipur High Court. She stays with her sister in the Camp area of Pune city. While she was walking down the East Street in Camp on December 12, an unidentified person approached her near Kayani Bakery.

He gained her confidence by asking about her health and the back pain. The person also told her that his mother got cured of her back pain from a doctor named Feroz Khan and that she should also visit him.

The suspect then dialled a number on his phone and asked Gidwani to talk to the person on the other end. A female spoke with Gidwani claiming to have been cured by Dr Feroz’s medicines.

The suspect then took Gidwani’s phone number. He called Gidwani two days later and told her that the doctor has arrived in Pune city and she should visit him. He took Gidwani to the doctor who pretended to cure her back pain.

Later the suspects told Gidwani to pay Rs 20 lakh for the treatment. They forced her to transfer the money from her account. So Gidwani transferred Rs 10 lakh from her bank account and another Rs 10 lakh from her sister Saroj Gidwani’s account.

Later when Gidwani tried to contact the doctor and other suspects, their number was not reachable. When Gidwani realised that she had been duped by the suspects, she approached the Cantonment police station and filed a complaint. Assistant Police Inspector M V Raut is investigating the case.