Elderly woman seeks justice after being tricked into gifting land

Human Rights Protection Foundation (HRPF) is all set to file a case under ‘The Maintenance and Welfare Of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007’ against a 28-year-old woman who tricked her illiterate father and 84-year-old grandmother into ‘gifting her’ two acres and five cents of land with a house worth nearly a crore in Santur village near Mulki.

Udupi based HRPF Chairman Dr Ravindranath Shanbhag told reporters on Tuesday that the accused woman, Roshni Umakanth Poojary, had cheated her 84-year-old grandmother Celestial Andrade and father Ronald D’Souza.

Celestial Andrade had purchased two acres and five cents of land in Santur village with her savings and had the land registered in her name in 1967. With the help of her husband, Gregory D’Souza, she had a well dug and developed the property.

After her husband’s death a few years ago, she invited her eldest son, Ronald D’Souza, among four siblings, to return from Mumbai and stay with her.

Ronald’s daughter Roshni, who was married to one Umakanth Poojary ten years ago, used to meet her grandmother Celestial Andrade and was aware of the developments related to dividing the property through a will executed on November 9, 2018.

It was during this period that Celestial’s granddaughter hatched a conspiracy to grab the entire land by illegal means.

In January 2019, Roshni took both her father Ronald and Celestial Andrade to the office of sub-registrar in Mulki and got them to sign the documents.

During the signing of documents, she had said the signatures were needed for enlisting their names in a government-sponsored agricultural scheme. Both Celestial and Ronald had no reason to suspect any foul play and had signed the documents.

However, by getting the documents signing, Roshni got Celestial to gift the immovable property of two acres and five cents with the house to Ronald, through a gift deed.

Later, she got the gift deed signed and executed by Ronald, in favour of her.

Only when surveyors knocked on her doors, did Celestial realize that the ownership rights over the entire property of two acres and five cents with the house were now wrested with Roshni.

Dr Shanbhag said the foundation will try all options to seek justice for the wronged elderly woman.