Daijiworld Media Network - Beltangady (SP)

Beltangady, Sep 22: An aged couple was duped to the tune of Rs 68 lac by a person from Hassan after promising to supply agricultural implements, equipment, insecticide etc needed for agricultural operations. After the police personnel here expressed their reluctance to register the case, the complainants have approach the court for justice.

A couple residing in the taluk reportedly was cheated by Suresh H N (38), residing at Adeel House Road, Adarsh Nagar, Hassan. Allegedly, Kalpana M R, residing near the government school at Shettihalli village in the district, happens to be an accomplice of Suresh.

The couple used to reside in a foreign country in the past. The husband worked for a freighter ship while the woman worked in a bank. The couple's only daughter resides at Udupi. The couple had returned to native place upon retirement, and was interested in conducting agricultural operations in 6.58 acres of land owned by it. The couple says that on September 9, 2014, an unidentified man called over phone to inform that he was sanctioned with some farm mechanization equipment for developing farm land and wanted to know which machines they are in need. After the couple said they needed a weeding machine, the man asked them to transfer Rs 4,820 to a particular bank account. In course of time, the couple received calls from different persons who introduced themselves with different names, and after winning over their confidence, sought transfer of different amounts to various accounts. The couple promptly obliged.

On October 10, 2015, Suresh personally met the couple and acknowledge receipt of amount sent by them earlier. He promised to supply additional implements,equipment etc besides fertilizer and collected Rs 1.41 lac from them.
In later days too, he kept talking to them over phone, and got different amounts transferred to different accounts. The amount so far transferred through 114 transactions works out to about Rs 68 lac, the couple claims.

Anugraha Fashion, Anugraha Agro Care and Anugraha Home Appliances, which were the beneficiary firms in some transactions, are owned by Kalpana. As Suresh failed to provide machinery, insecticide, equipment etc, the couple repeatedly contacted him. He visited their home on February 27 this year. The couple had complained to the police here, and the personnel of the station had summoned Suresh to the station. During the questioning, Suresh confessed to the police that he held five blank cheques issued by the complainants. But on September 8, he again used two of these cheques and put them for cleaning by filling amounts as Rs 9.63 lac and Rs 4.45 lac in them but the couple stopped payment of these cheques and avoided getting cheated again.

The couple now plan to approach higher police officers for justice. The couple allege that the police here extended the complainant royal treatment at the police station. They say the accused signed confession in the station, and transferred five lac rupees to the account of the couple on the spot and issued four more cheques of five lac rupees each, duly asking them present them for payment with a gap of a month each. The police returned the complaint without registering the case, by giving an endorsement that it is a civil case, the couple say. But the cheques issued by Suresh bounced upon presentation, and the accused is said to have challenged the couple to do what they can against him.