The Kolhapur native forged the complainant’s signature on a cheque and transferred money to his own account
Representational image. Pic/iStock
In a shocking breach of trust, a caretaker hired to look after an ailing senior citizen allegedly siphoned off Rs 70,000 from the elderly man’s bank account by forging his signature on a cheque. Charkop Police have arrested the accused after the fraud came to light.
The arrested accused has been identified as Vishal Vikram Mane, 31, a native of Kolhapur district
According to the police sources, the 73-year-old complainant, a retired professional currently residing at Eksar Gaon, Borivli West, lives with his daughter and son-in-law. Due to age-related illness and difficulty in walking and standing, the family had hired a full-time caretaker for his daily needs.
According to the police complaint, while the family was residing earlier at Charkop, Kandivli West, they employed Mane, a native, as a caretaker from May 2 to October 2, 2025, for 12 hours a day (8 am to 8 pm). He was paid Rs 650 per day, mostly through Google Pay and occasionally in cash. At the time of employment, the family had collected xerox copies of his Aadhaar and PAN cards.
The fraud came to light on October 6, 2025, when complaints noticed that R70,000 had been debited from his IndusInd Bank account. Alarmed, he visited the bank’s Santa Cruz West branch, where officials informed him that the amount had been transferred via cheque to the caretaker’s account.
A closer inspection of the cheque revealed a disturbing detail while the cheque belonged to the complaints but, the signature on it was forged.
The complaint told Charkop police that he had never issued or handed over any cheque to Mane.
“Following the complaint, Charkop Police registered a case of cheating and forgery and launched an investigation. The accused caretaker was subsequently arrested on Friday, was produced before the court today and he remanded police custody till 27 January.
Further probe is underway to ascertain whether similar offences were committed earlier, said an officer from Charkop police.
“If the signature was forged, the cheque would have been dishonoured,” said the defence lawyer. Speaking to mid-day, criminal defence lawyer Meet Ashok Rajpopat, who represents accused Vishal Vikram More, dismissed allegations of cheque forgery, stating that the claim does not stand scrutiny under established banking procedures.
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