MUMBAI: A couple who worked as caretakers of an 85-year-old cancer patient allegedly duped the senior citizen of lakhs of rupees and transferred his house at Dahisar East in their name as a gift for their service. The police recently registered a case against the couple based on a complaint from a family friend and are in the process of verifying whether the senior citizen had willingly parted with his wealth.
The Dahisar police registered an FIR in April 2025. As the senior citizen was undergoing cancer treatment, they were able to record his statement only this week, said a police officer. The senior citizen has been living alone since his wife passed away in 2020. He employed a 30-year-old woman as a caretaker, who lived in the same house as the patient with her husband.
According to the FIR, the complainant opened a joint savings account with the victim in 2007. They had deposited ₹30 lakh for his palliative care. He also opened another fixed deposit with ₹5 lakh. He said the senior citizen gave his late wife’s jewellery to the complainant for safekeeping.
The complainant told the police that in May 2024, the senior citizen said he was in a jam and needed money. So he asked the complainant to return his late wife’s gold jewellery weighing 250 grams. On April 3, 2025, the senior citizen withdrew all the money from their joint account without consulting the complainant. When the complainant tried to meet him or call him, the woman caretaker prevented him from all contact.
The complainant’s concerns grew when, in April 2025, a relative of the senior citizen called him and said his caretakers had been threatening and extorting money from him. She allegedly threatened to file a complaint of rape against the senior citizen. “The complainant said that he later found out that the senior citizen’s flat had been given as a gift to the caretakers,” said a police officer.
The Dahisar police booked the couple under sections 309 (robbery), 333 (house trespass), 318 (4) (cheating), 61 (2) (criminal conspiracy), and 3 (5) (common intention) of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
“In his statement to the police last week, the 85-year-old said he had willingly given his flat and money to the accused,” said Ashok Honmane, senior police inspector of the Dahisar police station. “We even checked with the registrar of assurances, who said the elderly had signed the papers. However, we are verifying the transactions and authenticity of the complaint, after which we will submit a report in court,” said Honmane. He said that there is a possibility of coercion or threats.