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Physically-challenged swindler arrested Thursday, July 19, 2001

By Crime Reporter, The Times of India News Service
AHMEDABAD: The Kagdapith police have arrested physically-challenged Ashok Chandulal Rathod who is alleged to have cheated several people to the tune of over Rs 15 lakh since he began his operations as a con man. Using physically-challenged persons as his victims, Rathod has also been charged of raping another disabled woman on the pretext of getting her an auto-tricycle, used by the disabled.

According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone V) R J Savani, Rathod had misused his disability and cheated people by taking money from them and promising them jobs or other benefits for the physically-challenged by posing as a representative of the social justice department.

His area of operations included Surendranagar, Rajula, Amreli, Aurangabad and even Shirdi. But it was from Kodinar where he extorted Rs 7,500 from someone in exchange of a job that he was caught along with the money.

His modus operandi was simple - he would contact a disabled person, promise him a job and collect his 'fee', and then send the person to photocopy their documents, and give them the slip. Rathod is known to have left people in the lurch at the Civil Hospital (on the pretext of getting a certificate from the Civil Surgeon), at the Regional Transport Office (on the pretext of getting a tricycle licence), as also on the railway station and ST bus stations on similar pretexts. Always ensuring that his 'fees' were realised first.

Rathod has reportedly confessed before the police that he had amassed Rs 1 lakh through this trick from Shirdi alone, and another Rs 50,000 from Aurangabad. "But how he managed this is really a mystery because Rathod claimed he could not speak a word of Hindi!" says Savani.

Police sources say, Rathod lured a physically-challenged married girl saying he would get her an auto-tricycle. He then took her to a hotel room at Sarkhej and raped her, and even stole her anklets! The lady, who has refused to lodge a complaint, reportedly surfaced before the police after Rathod's arrest.

News Source : Times Of India News Service [ Lightning News ]

 

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