Physiotherapist booked for theft of ₹1 crore valuables from patient’s home

Gamdevi police booked a physiotherapist for allegedly stealing ornaments, valuables, fixed deposit (FD) documents and share market investments, collectively worth

Gamdevi police booked a physiotherapist for allegedly stealing ornaments, valuables, fixed deposit (FD) documents and share market investments, collectively worth ₹1.13 crore, from the home of an elderly woman after her death.

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According to the police, the complainant in the case is the victim’s sister, Dr Siloo Bhagwagar, a Colaba-based veterinary surgeon.

In her complaint, Bhagwagar said her elder sister, Thrity Pitawala, who was in her 80s, came across the accused while undergoing treatment at a south Mumbai hospital in September 2016.

According to Bhagwagar, he would regularly visit Pitawala’s home for her physiotherapy sessions between September 2016 and May 2018.

After she began to trust him, he also managed to recruit his aides as domestic help at Pitawala’s house, the police said.

According to Bhagwagar, on May 31 last year, Pitawala fell in her bathroom.

On June 4, she died during treatment at a private hospital in Girgaum. As she was in the intensive care unit (ICU), throughout the course of her treatment, the police could not record her statement.

Bhagwagar told the police that after Pitawala’s death, when she visited her sister’s home, she found her ornaments and other valuables worth ₹20 lakh and documents pertaining to FD worth ₹93 lakh missing.

She also alleged that the CCTV cameras installed at Pitawala’s home were switched off before her sister fell down.

Bhagwagar suspected the physiotherapist to be behind the missing valuables and lodged a complaint against him before a magistrate court.

On the court’s direction, the Gamdevi police booked him under sections 379 (theft), 406 (criminal breach of trust) and 420 (cheating) of Indian Penal Code. The police said they will arrest him only after the investigation is complete.

“The person in question died long ago. Her sister had approached the court and after the magistrate’s order, we registered an offence against the physiotherapist. We are verifying the authenticity of the complainant’s allegations and trying to gather evidences in the case. Accordingly, we will take the necessary action against the accused. The investigation is on,” Rajendra Mohite, senior inspector of Gamdevi police station, said.