Elderly couple duped of ₹4 lakh by fake ‘physiotherapy’ gang using needle treatment scam in Ahmedabad

An elderly couple residing in the Vastrapur area of the city were allegedly cheated out of over ₹4 lakh by a group of impostors posing as doctors and physiotherapists, who claimed to cure paralysis and mobility issues through a bizarre “needle blood extraction” treatment.

According to a Cyber Crime Police official, the accused contacted the victims between January 13 and 15, impersonating an engineer, a doctor and a physiotherapy assistant, and extracted large sums of money on the pretext of medical treatment.

The complainant, Darshan Singh Chavda (50), a resident of Science City Road, stated that his parents, Krishna Singh Chavda (80) and Navuba Chavda (75), live alone at their flat in Vastrapur. His mother has been paralysed since 2002 and has been undergoing physiotherapy treatment.

An unknown man near Hindola Circle initially approached the elderly couple and introduced himself as an engineer named Nitin Agarwal. Claiming to have successfully treated similar ailments, he provided a mobile number and referred them to a supposed specialist identified as “Dr Diwan”.

Subsequently, a man calling himself Dr Diwan, while another individual identified as Dhanraj Patil claimed to be his assistant, called them. They visited the couple’s residence and allegedly began “treatment” by inserting needles into Navuba’s body and extracting what they described as “black blood”, claiming it was harmful and needed to be removed.

Police said the accused charged Rs 7,000 per drop of blood. Over two days, they allegedly extracted nearly 95 drops and demanded money accordingly. On January 15, the complainant’s father withdrew Rs 4 lakh from two Bank of Baroda accounts and handed it over to the accused.

The scam came to light when bank staff became suspicious during a subsequent withdrawal attempt of Rs 2.7 lakh and alerted the police. CCTV footage from the bank reportedly showed another unidentified person accompanying the elderly man, later identified during the investigation as Mohammad Amjad Mohammad Mehmood, a resident of Rajasthan.

Investigators believe that the accused targeted elderly and immobile individuals, impersonated physiotherapy professionals and monitored victims during bank withdrawals to ensure payments were made. Police said the accused acted in concert, forming a criminal conspiracy to cheat and breach the trust of senior citizens.

A case has been registered under relevant sections of cheating, criminal conspiracy and impersonation, and further investigation is underway to trace all the accused linked to the mobile numbers cited in the complaint.

Police have urged citizens, particularly families of elderly persons, to remain vigilant against unverified medical practitioners and report suspicious activities immediately.