Cheating plaint against old age home owner

The case against Mary Thomas of Selvi Memorial Home Society was registered following a complaint by M L Srivaran (79), who left her own house in Anna Nagar and moved to the society in 2018.

The elderly woman had informed her plight to Asha, who was employed as the shelter-home coordinator in the Chennai Corporation, during the latter’s visit to the Selvi Memorial Home Society in Teynampet recently. Based on her initiative, M L Srivaran alias Lu was rescued and shifted to another shelter home in Mogappair West. On Thursday, Srivaran lodged a complaint with the Teynampet police station. Accordingly, a case under Sections 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating) and 506 (I) (criminal intimidation) of the IPC was lodged against Mary Thomas, the owner of Selvi Memorial Home Society.

According to sources, Srivaran and her husband, who were employed in a bank, retired from service. The couple were living at a house in Anna Nagar. After her husband died of illness in 1995, Srivaran continued to stay alone there till 2018 and was later shifted to the Teynampet old age shelter.

When Mary Thomas came to know of Srivaran’s considerable bank balance and property details, she allegedly took the latter in an autorickshaw to a bank in Anna Nagar and withdrew the cash and jewellery from her locker citing that she had spent a few lakhs for medical treatment. In three trips to the bank, Srivaran’s entire savings was wiped off. She also allegedly took possession of Srivaran’s asset documents.