Man dupes 80-year-old woman in Navi Mumbai, flees with gold chain

An unknown person conned an 80-year-old Panvel woman and fled with her gold chain claiming to show it to his mother on Wednesday morning. The man approached the

An unknown person conned an 80-year-old Panvel woman and fled with her gold chain claiming to show it to his mother on Wednesday morning. The man approached the woman at her house asking for water when she was alone.

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Panvel city police investigating the case said senior citizen, Vasudha Povle, was alone at her apartment on Wednesday around 11 am. Povle’s son Yogesh, a jewellery designer, was away for work at the time. The accused, believed to be in his mid-40s, showed up at Povle’s first-floor apartment.

“The accused asked Povle for a glass of water and once he made sure that the elderly woman was alone, he kept her engaged in a conversation. During the chat, he mentioned his mother was waiting downstairs. The accused also inquired about her gold chain that the victim was wearing and pretended to like the design,” said an officer from Panvel city police station.

He asked her to remove her chain so that he could show the design to his mother. Trusting him and not sensing his ill intentions, Povle removed her chain worth ₹60,000 and handed it over to him after the man promised to return it quickly.

Yogesh returned home within the next hour and informed police, following which a case of cheating was registered against the unidentified person at the Panvel city police station. Police said they were on the lookout for the accused and were checking to verify if the modus operandi was similar to previous crimes in the area.