Elderly man cheated by fraudsters who sold him 'medicine' claiming it would cure his ailing wife
Elderly man cheated by fraudsters who sold him 'medicine' claiming it would cure his ailing wife
In the hope that his bedridden wife's condition would improve, Shyam Mende (65) paid about Rs 83,000 for an ayurvedic medicine to a man identified as Tukaram Shinde, only to realise that he had been taken for a ride. To make matters worse, the police refused to register his complaint saying it was not a case of fraud.
Mende, his son and daughter-in-law have been taking care of Vandana (60), who is bedridden, for the past three years.
"My wife is undergoing treatment at Sahyadri Hospital for the past three years. On August 17, I had gone to the hospital, when Shinde approached me," Mende said. "He told me that his mother had also got a similar attack many years ago and after using a particular ayurvedic medicine she was able to walk. So we exchanged numbers."
The next day a man posing as Shinde's father contacted Mende. A couple of days later, both of them visited Mende's house. They suggested a shopu00a0 called at Rasta Peth which kept such medicines.u00a0
u00a0"He also asked me carry at least Rs 15,000," Mende said. "There was a woman and two men along with a manager in the shop. They kept adding medicine drops to a bottle. I was worried about the total cost. Shinde asked me if I was more concerned about money or my wife. Finally, when they gave me the bill it was Rs 83,000."
As Mende had not carried so much cash, he paid them Rs 15,000 cash and gave a cheque for the remaining amount.
Shinde said that he would contact Mende after seven days and help him with the medicine. He also told Mende to use the medicine only after 40 days and that they would receive a certificate from the company that manufactured the medicine within 25 days. Also, if the medicine was not effective, 80 per cent of the money would be refunded.
Shop closed
After waiting for more than 30 days and no calls from Shinde or any sign of the certificate, the Mende family visited the shop and found it closed. On enquiring at the neighbouring shops, they learned that the place had shut some 20 days ago.
When MiD DAY visited the shop on Tuesday it was closed. Mahesh Swami, a shopkeeper next door, said that the shop had been open for just 15 days. "Another lady had also come enquiring about them. These people had duped her of Rs 75,000," Swami said.
Police unhelpful
To add to their agony, Samarth Police station, under whose jurisdiction the shop comes, refused to register Mende's complaint. The senior police inspector said that it was not exactly a case of fraud.
Sunil Gaikwad, an official from the station, said: "We wanted to make sure that the medicine was really fake. We took their statements later."
He said investigations were on and mobile numbers of the fraudsters had been tracked. "We are questioning the owner of the shop," he said.u00a0
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