Caretaker forges retired IAS officer’s signature, defrauds him of Rs 15 lakh

A household assistant-cum-caretaker of a retired IAS officer allegedly defrauded him of Rs 14.9 lakh by forging his signature on multiple cheques.

Kasim Saab, a Gangavati native, was hired in March as the personal caretaker of S R Vijay, 84, who lives in Koramangala 5th Block. Vijay had served the government of Karnataka in various capacities.

Kasim’s name was recommended by Vijay’s former household assistant Asha who had been hired through an agency. Asha had quit the job due to personal reasons and recommended Kasim’s name to Vijay’s son Sanjay Siragowni, vouching for his competence and integrity.

Kasim proved good at the job and won the trust of the family. Vijay often sent Kasim to the bank to withdraw the money.

On June 21, Kasim asked Siragowni for leave, saying he wants to attend his brother’s wedding in Gangavati. The next day, Vijay happened to check his bank statement and discovered that Kasim had forged his signature on a cheque and deposited it in the bank but the cheque bounced for a mismatch in the signature. But it wasn’t Kasim’s only attempt at forgery.

He had forged Vijay’s signature on another cheque and deposited it in the bank, pocketing Rs 8 lakh. When Siragowni called up Kasim and demanded an explanation, he promised to return the money and even sent him the picture of a cheque on WhatsApp. The cheque was drawn in favour of the former IAS officer. Around this time, Vijay detected several other cheque forgeries. In total, he lost Rs 14.9 lakh.

Siragowni filed a complaint with the Koramangala police. Acting on the complaint, police got Kasim’s bank account frozen and are making efforts to track down him.