Mumbai: Woman Dupes As RBI Official, Cheats Relative Of Rs 96 Lakhs

A 34-year-old woman in Mumbai has been booked for allegedly duping a Reserve Bank of India (RBI) official and defrauding her distant relative, a 67-year-old retiree of Bhartiya Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) with a physically challenged son for Rs 96 Lakhs from a period of 2017-2023. The accused, Mrudula Kiran Surve alias Mrudula Aravi Omkar Bhosale, promised the relative Rs 2 Lakh per month if he would invest in the RBI's bonds/shares. Notably, the accused also tampered with his passbooks and presented fake certificates and records to deceive the elderly. 

Woman Dupes As RBI Official, Cheats Relative Of Rs 96 Lakhs

The accused allegedly approached the target identified as Govind Rane in 2016 at a family gathering. She introduced herself as an RBI employee and proposed a lucrative investment scheme involving "RBI shares."

Rane, who is a resident of Lalbaugh, Mumbai, narrated his ordeal to police officers. He shared that ever since his wife died in 2014, he and his specially challenged son have been living in ashrams in Gorai and Virar respectively. He spoke about his concerns for his son's future and wished for a fixed income to ensure his son was cared for. 

The accused woman allegedly told Rane that the RBI had introduced a new scheme for those who will invest in their shares to get assured Rs 2 lakhs per month from which he could secure the future of his disabled son, as per the police. 

Notably, Rane, who is a resident of Kherwadi in Bandra was initially reluctant to invest as he needed money to cover treatment expenses for his son but trusting the con woman's words, he initially invested Rs 22 Lakhs in RBI bonds through her.

From 2017 to 2023 the woman continued to fleece a lumpsum amount of Rs 96 lakhs from the elderly under the guise of RBI investments and under the pretext of different schemes. The woman even asked a few people to pose as RBI officials on a call with Rane and presented forged certificates and bank passbooks to show him his investments were safe and growing. She also asked him to not discuss these investments with any of his close relatives including his daughter.

It was when Rane started inquiring about the returns and received dishonoured cheques from the woman that turned out to be a dud as he presented the cheques for encashment, that he went to Kalachowkie police station to complain about the woman. 

The man reportedly gave all his savings and retirement money to the con woman and is only left with his Rs 30,000 pension money that he receives every month for survival. 

This incident highlights the vulnerability of senior citizens and individuals with disabilities to financial scams. It serves as a stark reminder to be cautious of unsolicited investment offers, especially those promising high returns. It is crucial to verify the legitimacy of any investment scheme and to avoid sharing personal financial information with unknown individuals.