76-yr-old harassed, coerced to sign away Santacruz home by son, daughter-in-law

The couple allegedly verbally abused the senior citizen and refused to provide her money for medical expenses

MUMBAI: A 76-year-old woman in Santacruz has been allegedly harassed and subjected to death threats by her son and daughter-in-law for the last two years. Based on her complaint, the Santacruz police registered a case against the couple under the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act on Thursday.

76-yr-old harassed, coerced to sign away Santacruz home by son, daughter-in-law

The complainant, Gurbir Kaur Jogendersingh Kohli, is a homemaker who has been living in the Sukhmani Building in Santacruz (West) with her family since 1969. Her husband, Jogendersingh Jaipalsingh Kohli, passed away in 2000 and is survived by his wife, two daughters and sons. Apart from this flat, Gurbir Kaur also owns a room on the building’s terrace, which she had rented out for ₹33,000 per month between 2017 and 2019. She told the police that once the tenant left, her eldest son, Jagdeep, allegedly occupied it and stopped her rental income. When she demanded the room’s utilisation, he instead demanded she pay ₹3 lakh to him.

According to the complaint, in the same year, Jagdeep also forced her to sign several papers that contained written content and a blank page. She claimed that he had secretly obtained the original documents for her flat as well as her shares and fixed deposit documents. When she asked him to return them, he allegedly threatened to kick her out of the house and kill her. As per her complaint, apart from fighting with her over trivial issues for the past two years and cheating, the couple also constantly verbally abused the senior citizen and refused to provide her money for medical expenses.

On March 10, 2025, in the presence of the rest of the family, Gurbir Kaur demanded that Jagdeep vacate the room on the terrace, she said. However, he allegedly threatened to push her from the terrace and also warned that he would implicate her and his younger brother in a false case. Gurbir Kaur further alleged that her daughter-in-law, Simran, threatened to poison her food that day.

On August 16, Jagdeep and Simran hosted a party on the terrace and invited their friends, which disturbed the other residents. When Gurbir Kaur asked them to reduce the noise, Jagdeep allegedly threatened to throw her out of the house.

Based on her complaint, the Santacruz police registered a case under Section 23 (allowing senior citizens to have property transfers declared void if the transferee fails to provide the agreed-upon basic amenities and needs, deeming the transfer to have been made under fraud or coercion) of the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007. “We are verifying the complaint,” said an officer from the Santacruz police station.