The Madras High Court has refused to quash a criminal case registered against five individuals for allegedly cheating a septuagenarian woman, an Overseas Citizen of India residing in Singapore, by selling her properties and misappropriating the sale proceeds.
Case Background
According to the prosecution, the complainant, Magamatha, is a 70-year-old woman living in Singapore who holds an Overseas Citizen of India card. Her husband, a businessman involved in the shipping industry in Singapore, passed away in 2015, leaving behind substantial properties in and around Thanjavur district. Following his death, her relatives initiated several litigations concerning these properties, making it difficult for her to manage both the legal battles and the assets.
Some individuals approached Magamatha and obtained her signatures on blank papers. They also advised her to execute power of attorney documents to safeguard her properties. Using these power documents and blank papers, they allegedly created various sale deeds among themselves without her knowledge and misappropriated the sale proceeds.
Legal Proceedings
Based on her complaint, the Thanjavur District Crime Branch (DCB) registered a case against several individuals in 2025. Five of the accused filed a petition seeking to quash the First Information Report (FIR) registered against them. Subsequently, in 2026, another case was registered by the Tamil University police against individuals accused of attempting to intimidate the woman. Two accused in that case also sought to quash the FIR.
Justice B. Pugalendhi, hearing the petitions, observed that the materials on record established a prima facie case against the accused in the DCB case, warranting further investigation. The judge noted that the complainant alleged that documents were registered while she was in Singapore, using fake life certificates, which also requires police investigation. Consequently, the court refused to quash the case and dismissed the petitions.
The judge directed the relevant sub-registrars, immigration authorities, forensic department, and the income tax department to cooperate with the investigating agency by providing necessary documents without unnecessary delay.
Intimidation Case Quashed
Regarding the second criminal case involving allegations of intimidation, the judge observed that no injury was caused to the complainant. The court opined that pursuing this subsequent case would only divert attention from the main issue. Therefore, the judge quashed the intimidation case and directed the police to provide necessary protection to the complainant.
