HDFC Life manager held for cheating people of Rs 40 cr

Mangalore Today News Network

Bengaluru, Dec 17, 2015, DHNS: Vishalakshi used to collect money from prominent people as insurance premium but never deposited it

Vishalakshi, the manager of HDFC Life’s BTM Layout branch in the City, was arrested in Uttar Pradesh on charges of cheating hundreds of people, including Housing Minister M H Ambarish’s kin, of Rs 40 crore.

 

A police team from the City tracked and arrested her at Etawah on Wednesday night. She was brought to the City on Thursday morning.

The police said Vishalakshi used to befriend people from business sectors, film industry as well as top government officials and collect money from them as premium towards life insurance policies.

But she did not deposit the money with the company. Vishalakshi, a native of Sirsi in Uttara Kannada district, has a degree from Kuvempu University, Shivamogga.

In 2007, she joined the marketing division of HDFC. A senior police officer said they have information that she has cheated hundreds of people of Rs 40 crore.

It is suspected that there are more people cheated by her who are yet to lodge a police complaint. Also, the HDFC officials will be contacted to gather information about the nature of her work, the officer added.

B S Lokesh Kumar, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South), said: “Following numerous complaints, two special teams were formed. They traced her mobile phone logs to Etawah. We gathered more information and two teams went to Etawah from where she was arrested on Wednesday night. She was subjected to medical examination and after completing the formalities, she was produced before a local court which remanded her in police custody for five days.”

The police said she was residing in an ashram in Etawah. She had roamed around several places in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and New Delhi, among others before reaching Etawah.

She will be further subjected to questioning to ascertain the modus operandi. The police are also ascertaining whether more people were involved with her. There are several cases lodged against her in Madiwala, Subramanyapura and J P Nagar police stations. She had also cheated Renuka Devi, sister of actor Sumalatha, wife of Housing Minister M H Ambarish.