Ex-Banker Duped Of Rs 4 Crore By Nephew Claiming To Be Defence Intelligence Officer

Pune:

A former bank officer, aged 53, was allegedly swindled out of Rs 4 crore by his nephew who impersonated an intelligence officer, resulting in the victim and his wife becoming homeless, according to a Pune police official on Monday.

Shubham Prabhale persuaded his uncle Suryakant Thorat to provide funds by claiming he needed to release Rs 38 crore from a bank account, which he alleged was a reward for his work in the defence intelligence department, the official explained.

"Shubham is my wife's cousin's son. In 2019, he approached me asserting he worked in the intelligence department. He requested Rs 5 lakh claiming he needed to pay fees to access Rs 38 crore he had received as reward money from the department," Thorat recounted.

In his police complaint, Thorat alleged his nephew even arranged for him to speak with someone purporting to be Union Minister Amit Shah and other high-ranking officials to convince him that the Rs 38 crore reward was legitimate.

"Shubham continued demanding money afterward, claiming it was necessary to process his reward file. Between January 2020 and September 2024, I transferred over Rs 4 crore into various accounts belonging to Shubham and also made cash payments to his father Sunil and brother Omkar," Thorat stated.

Thorat revealed he sold his assets, including land in Mulshi, a shop, two apartments, a car, and gold ornaments worth Rs 76 lakh, and also borrowed more than Rs 1 crore from relatives and friends to provide money to Shubham and his family members.

In his complaint, Thorat claimed that when asked to return the money, Shubham told him he was engaged in an important mission abroad.

"He said he would arrange for me to speak with Union Home Minister Amit Shah. He then set up a conference call where I spoke to someone claiming to be Amit Shah, who assured me that the reward-related process would be completed soon and advised me not to worry," Thorat detailed in his complaint.

After Shubham began avoiding him, Thorat approached the police.

On September 15, a case was registered against Shubham Prabhale, his father Sunil Prabhale, mother Bhagyashree Prabhale, brother Omkar Prabhale, and Prashant Rajendra Prabhale under sections 318(4) (cheating), 204 (personating a public servant), and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), according to the Parvati police station official.

Speaking to PTI, Thorat claimed he is now homeless, without financial resources, and living in a temple in the city, adding that he seeks justice from the police and government.