Two extort Rs 1.5L from elderly man for ‘free therapy’

Two men promised to fix the hearing impairment of a 63-year-old man for free, but later took Rs 1.5 lakh from him.

The victim, Manjunath Bhat, said in a complaint that he visited the hospital on August 3 and the accused, later identified as Gautham, noticed his hearing aid and promised to cure his condition for free by ayurvedic therapy by a man called Shankara Murthy.

Gautham called him the same evening and informed Bhat that his brother had the same problem and it was cured by the ayurvedic therapy.

Bhat called Murthy and was assured that his problem could be cured.

The next morning, Murthy visited Bhat’s house and applied samples of ayurvedic medicine on his head and palms. He then asked Bhat to visit his shop in Cubbonpet for more effective treatment.

Bhat alleged that he acted on the instructions of the accused after the medicines were applied on his head. He took Rs 10,000 and blank cheques as per instructions and visited the shop. Murthy mixed the medicines and asked for Rs 1.5 lakh, which Bhat refused to give as they had said the treatment was free.

Victim forced to sign

The accused forced Bhat to sign a cheque for Rs 1.4 lakh, besides taking Rs 10,000 in cash. They encashed the cheque within hours. Based on his family members’ suggestion, Bhat lodged a complaint with the police. The Kodigehalli police have taken up a case and are investigating further.