Doc dupes family of Rs 34L enacts abduction drama

 A 52-year-old Ayurveda doctor, who was believed to have been abducted, was rescued safely by the Peenya police. It emerged during the investigation that she had duped a family to the tune of Rs 34 lakh and staged an abduction drama.

“We will book Dr Uma, 56, a resident of Konanakunte Cross, for cheating a family to the tune of Rs 34 lakh. She is believed to have cheated several families. We will thoroughly interrogate her and take action,” a senior police officer told Deccan Herald.

Dr Uma claims to run a clinic at Konanakunte Cross. Uma’s husband parted ways with her following marital discord and moved to Bhatkal. Uma’s only son Pavan is pursuing MBBS in Delhi, said the police.

She would target physically challenged patients of rich families. She would become close to the family members. She would then claim to have top contacts and would extract money with a promise to provide them the sites. She would vanish after collecting the money, said the police.

Dr Uma came in contact with a family from Srirampura about five years ago. The head of the family is a retired private firm employee, has three daughters and a physically challenged son. He had sold a piece of land and had deposited the money in a bank, said the police.

She collected Rs 14 lakh claiming to cure his son’s ailment. She claimed to provide them a site at a posh locality for a cheaper price and collected Rs 20 lakh. She distanced herself after receiving money, added the police.

However, it took some time for him to realise that he had been duped. She did not repay Rs 20 lakh despite repeated pleas, said the police.

The family members invited her for a talk at Peenya on Tuesday. They wanted to take her to police station to settle the matter, but she pleaded with them against their decision as it would tarnish her reputation. She decided to accompany them to their house for a talk.

She spoke to her son over telephone and requested him to transfer Rs 20,000. Pavan transferred Rs 28,000 to her accounts in Canara Bank and State Bank of India. She told him that she was abducted by three unknown men.  At around 6 pm, Pavan informed the police that her mother was abducted, said the officer.

“We constituted a team, collected bank details and traced the residential details of the account holder at Srirampura. The police raided the house and rescued Dr Uma. She was safe and was not ill-treated. She had no answers for questions of cheating,” said a senior police officer.