The 58-year-old woman from Kolhapur has lodged a case of cheating against her friend in Chandannagar, who she treated like a son
A 58-year-old woman from Kolhapur, who was staying with a close acquaintance in the city, has lodged a complaint against him for stealing her debit card and bank details and withdrawing cash to the tune of Rs 8.63 lakh.
The woman, Laxmi Raherkar, claims she is appalled that the person she was a guardian to – she sponsored his education and helped set up his business – would stab her in the back.
On Monday, the Yerawada police registered a case against Balaji Waghmare (40), under section 420 (cheating) of the IPC. Police say he is on the run. Raherkar, said, “I work as a rector at a Kolhapur-based medical college and had some 60 days of leave pending.
So I decided to come to Pune to attend meditation classes and meet Waghmare, whom I know since he was a child. It’s been more than three decades that my family knows him, and his parents used to work as domestic help in my sister’s house in Nanded. I treated him like my own son but he has backstabbed me.
After he scored good marks in his Std X, I even sponsored his education, and later helped him set up his business of curtains in Pune.” “I came to Pune on August 5, and started staying with Waghmare, his wife and their three children.
Later, I rented an apartment near his house out of respect for his privacy, and started taking meditation lessons near Pune railway station. I also took some treatment at a naturopathy centre in Deccan.
Whenever I had free time, I used to visit his curtain shop and help him with his business. All was going good.” “But on October 14, while I was at his cash counter cleaning the table, I noticed my debit card in his drawer along with various cash withdrawal slips with my account details.
Incredulous, I went to my bank in Vimannagar and was shocked to find that Waghmare had been withdrawing Rs 30,000-40,000 from my account almost every day since August. The withdrawals were made in Hyderabad, Nanded and other areas, but not Pune. When I confronted him he pleaded and promised to give my money back.
He even gave me a cheque of Rs 2 lakh but it bounced. I have been telling the police to register a case since October. And on Monday, only after I cried and threatened to approach senior authorities, they registered the case.”
Cop speak
Inspector S A Patil, in-charge of Yerawada police station, said, “Waghmare must have stolen the debit card from her purse when she was at the cash counter in his shop. Later, he procured her password and other bank details which were saved on her mobile. He misused it and duped her.”
Asked about the alleged delay in taking note of the complaint, he said, “I am not aware that Raherkar was struggling to register a complaint. I will personally enquire in this regard.”
