CHENNAI: A man posing as a lawyer allegedly cheated a family in Porur of around Rs 35 lakh under the pretext of helping them with a case. The suspect, Venkatacharya, had allegedly told the victims — Sivakumar and his family — that their tenant had filed multiple court petitions and complaints, including one under Pocso Act, against them.
The SRMC police said Sivakumar had rented out the ground floor of his house to a man named Venkatesan, who had stopped paying rent several months ago. Sivakumar frequently travelled to Dubai for work. It was a friend of Sivakumar in Dubai who introduced him to Venkatacharya.
He claimed he was a lawyer and said that Venkatesan had filed several civil and criminal cases against his family and demanded Rs 4 lakh. Sivakumar paid the amount to an associate in Chennai. Later, he claimed Venkatesan had filed a Pocso case, alleging molestation of his minor daughter, and wanted more money, which Sivakumar paid.
Two weeks ago, when Venkatacharya asked for a ‘fee’ of several crores, Sivakumar grew suspicious and filed a complaint. Police found that no such case existed and that the family had been duped. They arrested an associate of Venkatacharya, Gnanasekar, who had received Rs 4 lakh.