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Elderly Vendor Duped of Savings by Fake Cop
4 Nov
Summary
- Elderly vendor lost Rs 1.9 lakh and phone to a fake police officer.
- The money was saved for the vendor's own funeral expenses.
- The accused, posing as an officer, promised to recover lost gold jewelry.
A 75-year-old paddu vendor in Bengaluru has been defrauded of his life savings, amounting to Rs 1.9 lakh, by a woman impersonating a police officer. The vendor, Sriramulu Naidu, was approached by the 35-year-old accused, identified as Siva Rani, approximately three months prior.
Rani allegedly convinced Naidu that she could help recover a gold chain that went missing six months ago. She cultivated his trust by visiting his stall and occasionally wearing a khaki sari. Over several months, she collected money from him, claiming it was for payments to police personnel in Hosur.
The deception escalated on October 26, when Rani visited Naidu's stall and invited him to her rented home. She then took his mobile phone, purportedly due to network issues, and transferred Rs 1.6 lakh from his digital payment accounts. She subsequently fled with his phone, valued at Rs 18,000, after asking him to run an errand.
Naidu had saved this money for his own funeral expenses, wishing not to burden his independently living children. Following the incident, he was reportedly distressed and attempted to end his life. Begur police have registered a case, and efforts are underway to apprehend Rani, who is also a suspect in another significant fraud case.
