Team Herald
MARGAO: With the arrest of the prime accused, Tanvi Vast of Curchorem, and Anand Jadhav, the Branch Manager of Central Bank of India’s Cacora Branch, more complaints of cheating are pouring in at the Curchorem police station. The number of complaints against the duo has now reached 22, with the total amount swindled touching Rs 1.5 crore. Police expect more cases to be reported.
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So far, four cases have been registered, and investigations are ongoing. Police revealed that Vast had been running the racket for about a year.
The modus operandi in these fresh complaints mirrors that of the earlier four cases registered at the Curchorem police station. Police stated that Vast dishonestly transferred funds from the complainants’ accounts to her own without their consent or knowledge, often targeting elderly victims. “We have received around 18 more complaint applications from residents of Curchorem, including senior citizens and one handicapped person, against Tanvi Vast for cheating them to the tune of Rs 1.5 crore. We expect more cases to emerge,” said a police officer investigating the case.
The accused, Vast, allegedly exploited the trust of account holders, working in coordination with Jadhav, to access their savings. Police have seized fixed deposit slips and are collecting further evidence from the bank.
Among the victims of the registered cases are Cristalina Coutinho of Curchorem, who was cheated of Rs 14.28 lakh; Sushma Dinesh Kumar Asthana who was cheated of Rs 29.69 lakh and Ruzalina Correia of Cacora, among others.
Both accused have been remanded to police custody until Monday and will be further presented before the Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC), Quepem, for additional remand.
Police have recovered gold worth Rs 18.5 lakh and identified four bank accounts held by Tanvi Vast. Efforts are underway to gather bank details and trace investments made using the stolen funds.
