Senior citizen duped of ₹24.48 lakh; two held in Pune

A senior citizen living alone was deceived into addiction and his bank account was misused to transfer ₹24.48 lakh to various accounts, said police. The incident took place between November and December 2024 and two people were arrested on Thursday, said police.

The accused, Mohammad Hanif Mohammad Afsar (52) and Iftikhar Rahimkhan Pathan (31), both brothers-in-law, manipulated the victim, Ashok Shankar Zharekar (64), and gained access to his mobile banking details.

Zharekar, residing in Magarpatta City Road, Hadapsar, was allegedly assisted in daily chores by Mohammad Hanif, a security guard in his society. Gaining his trust, Hanif, along with Iftikhar, encouraged the victim’s addiction and secretly accessed his banking details. Over time, they transferred money to their and their relatives’ bank accounts.

The victim’s son, residing in Bengaluru, noticed the suspicious transactions and reported the fraud to the police. Upon investigation, police traced the transactions to Iftikhar and his wife Noorjahan’s bank accounts. Further technical analysis revealed Hanif and Iftikhar’s involvement.

A police team, led by Sanjay Mogale, senior police inspector, tracked Iftikhar to Govandi, Mumbai, and arrested him. His interrogation led to Hanif’s arrest as well.

Both accused have confessed to the crime and remanded in police custody till March 31. Police are further investigating whether more individuals were involved in the scam.