Relatives try to dupe AIDS patient of Rs 4.5 crore

Nine persons, including relatives, tried to defraud a 70-year-old-AIDS patient in Nabha of her Rs 4.5 crore-worth property on the pretext of getting her a new medicine to cure her of the disease.

Nine persons, including relatives, tried to defraud a 70-year-old-AIDS patient in Nabha of her Rs 4.5 crore-worth property on the pretext of getting her a new medicine to cure her of the disease.

The accused were identified as Dev Singh and Tehal Singh, sons of Pritam Singh Mataoi of Sangrur, the woman's relatives, while Bhim Singh, Pavitar Singh, Loku Ram and two unidentified women and two men were also mentioned in the FIR.

The woman's relatives had told her that a breakthrough had been made and that scientists had discovered a 'molecule' that could cure AIDS. They also told her that to start treatment one had to complete documentation as the medicine was available only with the government.

Under the pretext of documentation, the accused had taken the woman's signature on a sale deed of her property on Nabha-Patiala Road. The documents stated that the woman had received Rs 75 lakh as advance for sale from the accused.

The accused sent two women who posed as nurses from the Punjab health department for getting her signature on the documents.

"The accused had promised a notary public officer of bribe and taken him along as witness that she had willfully signed the documents in the district court," said senior superintendent of police Hardial Singh Mann.

Meanwhile, the accused gave the woman ayurvedic medicines as the 'miracle medicine'. However, the woman was summoned by the Nabha court where the accused had file a case that she was not handing over the land, in spite of taking Rs 75 lakh from them.

Upset over this, the woman approached the village panchyat members who took her to lodge a complaint with the SSP.

"After a thorough inquiry we registered a case of cheating and conspiracy against the accused who are on the run," said the SSP.

He said the accused had followed all legal procedures in trying to dupe the woman making it hard to call the bluff. But, the police cracked the case and launched a manhunt to nab accused, he said.