HYDERABAD: A 92-year-old retired doctor from a distinguished Hyderabad family has filed a complaint with Banjara Hills police, alleging that she was defrauded of nearly Rs 32 lakh by a man claiming to be an insurance agent.
The victim, who insisted on anonymity, served as the superintendent of Niloufer Hospital during her medical career and retired several years ago. Her late husband was a Lieutenant Colonel in the Indian Army and passed away a few years ago. Her children, a son and daughter, stay in the UK.
According to her complaint, a man identifying himself as Veeranna Gugulothu, an agent from Reliance Nippon Life Insurance, visited her residence claiming he was there to assist with policy renewals. He presented what appeared to be legitimate company identification, including an employee and business card.
The doctor said that Veeranna requested payment for the renewals and asked for a cancelled cheque, supposedly to deposit maturity amounts. Trusting his credentials, she complied. However, she later discovered that 11 cheques had been issued without her knowledge from two of her savings bank accounts.
Her office manager told TNIE that the agent visited the house multiple times and would frequently ask to use her phone, citing reasons such as entering OTPs. Although the cheques did not bear her signature, the agent reportedly managed to withdraw funds in repeated transactions.
Accused transferred small amounts to escape notice
It was only after reviewing her bank statements that she realised a large sum had been withdrawn without her consent. The total missing amount is estimated to be around Rs 32 lakh. When confronted, Veeranna denied any wrongdoing but later admitted to withdrawing the money, the complaint says. He assured the doctor he would return the amount in instalments, and she agreed. He has since returned approximately Rs 11 lakh but has been ignoring her calls for the past three months.
Banjara Hills police said that Veeranna had transferred small amounts into multiple accounts before consolidating them into his own. They believe that a portion of the funds may have been used to purchase land, while the rest appears to have been spent.