BENGALURU: A 38-year-old Thai national, who has been living in Bengaluru for nearly a decade running an import-export business, has alleged that a man she trusted with the keys to her rented apartment vacated the house without her knowledge, collected part of her security deposit from the landlord and made away with household belongings worth nearly Rs18 lakh after she was stranded in Thailand following visa-related deportation proceedings.
Thanisata Sakdavichid was staying in a rented apartment in Dasarahalli, Hebbal, where she operated an import-export business dealing in clothes, cosmetics, food products and other goods. In March, she was detained over visa-related issues and was later deported to Thailand. She alleged that the man to whom she had given the keys to her apartment took advantage of her absence to cheat her.
Her friend, Saurabh, filed a complaint with the Amruthahalli police on June 18 against Usman, the main accused, Farha Jabeen and the landlord, Chimbili Amarnath. The police have registered a case under Sections 318 (cheating) and 351 (criminal intimidation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
According to the FIR, Usman took away valuables worth Rs 18.10 lakh and emptied the apartment. He is also accused of misappropriating Rs 40,000 that Sakdavichid had paid as an advance towards the flat. When confronted, he allegedly refused to return the belongings and threatened to kill her.
Sakdavichid told TNIE over phone that before leaving India, she had given the apartment keys to Usman, asking him only to clean the house, safeguard her belongings and stay there temporarily, if required, until her return. But after she reached Thailand, he allegedly refused to hand over the keys to Saurabh despite repeated requests.
On April 30, Usman allegedly informed her that he had vacated the apartment, removed all her belongings and collected around Rs 40,000 from her Rs 80,000 security deposit from the landlord without her consent.
She further alleged that Usman used an unsigned and legally invalid draft power of attorney, which she had never physically signed or authenticated through the Thai Embassy, to gain control of her apartment and belongings.
Following the complaint, the police recovered only about 20-30% of her belongings from a house in Hegde Nagar. Several recovered items were found damaged, while furniture, electronic appliances, personal belongings and other valuables worth around Rs 15 lakh remain untraced.
Sakdavichid alleged that the landlord colluded with the accused by handing over part of the security deposit and allowing the apartment to be vacated without informing her.
She claimed that after sharing her ordeal on social media, several people from different cities, including Delhi, contacted her, alleging that they too had been cheated by the same person similarly.
“This is not his first time that he has cheated people like this, and I should be the last woman to be cheated by him. That is why I am fighting this case,” she said.
“It took me years of hard work to build my life in India. Watching someone take away everything you worked for within a matter of hours is devastating. We have submitted all the evidence, yet we still feel we are not getting justice. They are using our money and enjoying life in front of our eyes while we continue to struggle to recover our belongings,” she added.