CHENNAI: While people in places like China have started using AI tools to create avatars of loved ones who have passed away, a 52-year-old man from Kerala used simple tricks to cheat his former colleague and friend to the tune of Rs 2 crore by claiming that he could speak to his dead mother.
When Gautham Sivasamy (52) realised that he was being taken for a ride by his friend, he filed a complaint and based on which Subramani, the accused, was arrested by the Central Crime Branch (CCB) from Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday.
Gautham Sivasamy of Anderson Road in the city had lost his mother several years ago, but he always wondered if there was a way to communicate with her. Police said Gautham came in contact with Subramani in 2005 when they were working together in Nigeria. They remained friends even after they were no longer working together, added the police.
“During their interactions, Subramani realised that Gautham was a spiritual person and he hatched a plan to cheat his friend. Subramani convinced Gautham that he could speak with the dead and said he could speak to Gautham’s mother if he so wished,” said a senior police officer. Gautham, who missed his mother, decided to give it a shot. To convince Gautham, Subramani would do neat tricks where he made plates in the pooja room move, among other things. He also did the old trick of pulling a lemon out of thin air, said Gautham.
“Subramani then sent e-mails to Gautham in which he exchanged the alleged conversation which he had with Gautham’s mother. As time went by, Subramani took Gautham’s ATM card and withdrew money. A ‘mesmerised’ Gautham could do nothing to stop him. He even shaved his head, modified his house and took important life decisions based on Subramani’s instructions, said SI K Sujatha, who led the team that eventually nabbed the absconding Subramani.
The demand for money never stopped. Subramani would often ask for money for his business and other reasons, said Gautham. All in all, Gautham paid him Rs 2 crore. The money transactions took place between 2015-2019, said the police.
Meanwhile, in 2020, Gautham’s father died of Covid-19. Subramani told his friend that the house was haunted and asked him to transfer ownership in his name. When the two brothers of Gautham, who were living abroad, heard about this, they made Gautham realise that his friend was cheating him. When Gautham confronted Subramani, it dawned on him that Subramani was indeed fooling him. Based on his complaint, the Endorsement Fraud (EDF) wing of the CCB arrested Subramani from his house in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday.