Page 48 - Seniorstoday October 2023 Issue

Alaimentary - A Story of a Tale - 7
Fraud and Faith
Frauds never pay, but faith always pays, elucidates Nagesh Alai
Navya Ahluwalia, 64, a retired finance
and legal professional from the corporate
world, residing in midtown Mumbai,
simple and spiritual in living and grace
and generosity in giving, has been visiting
the Siddhivinayak Temple and Akkalkot
Swami Samarth Temple in Dadar regularly
over the past few months fervently praying
for divine help in recovering Rs. 44,501 that
she had been defrauded out of. She and her
husband, Vijay, have been managing their
sunset lives with her barely-there pension
income, while continuing to be munificent
in their responses to appeals for help from
all and sundry. Her two sons had long back
moved out to lead their independent lives
and Navya and Vijay had got used to the
empty-home syndrome, living on their
own in the comforts of their 3 decade old
apartment. Grey and wise they were, but as
gullible and susceptible to thefts and cyber
frauds as many are in today’s tech enabled
world with all its potentials and disasters.
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It had so happened that Navya and
Vijay were dining out with their family
to celebrate their wedding anniversary a
few months ago. Along the way, Navya
had received a mail from a friend, SKM
acronymically speaking, a well-known
independent director, as she was, seeking
some urgent help because he was not able
to access his account. While Navya did
see it as a surprise request from a well-
heeled person, given her never-say-no
keenness and attitude to help, at the spur
of the moment, transferred Rs. 26,930
from her bank account with a highly
regarded private bank, say HDFB, to the
indicated account of the recipient named
SM, mentioned by SKM, in another reputed
private bank branch, say IIB, based in
Delhi. She received an acknowledgement
from SKM with profuse gratitude and a few
minutes later received another mail from
SKM seeking Rs. 17,571 to be transferred
to the same account. In a continued verve