Seventy-four-year-old Leela Alex of Thoppumpady recently lost her son due to an illness. However, the death has resulted in questions about his wealth and who has the right to access it.
KOCHI: 74-year-old Leela Alex of Thoppumpady recently lost her son due to an illness. However, the death has resulted in questions about his wealth and who has the right to access it. The septuagenarian filed a complaint with city police alleging that two of her son’s friends have claimed custody of her son’s wealth, including a posh apartment in the city and have been siphoning off money from her son’s bank accounts.
Based on the complaint lodged by the mother, the central police station has registered a case against the two friends under Sections 379 of IPC, Section 66 (C) and Section 66 (D) of Information Technology Act. As per the complaint, the two friends claimed to be the custodian of her son’s wealth and by using his debit/credit card details, two mobile phones and internet banking passwords, they allegedly withdrew 4.57 lakh from his account.
Police, which conducted a preliminary probe into the incident, found that the son identified as Thomas, 50, was staying alone in an apartment in the city and his mother and younger brother stayed at their ancestral home in Thoppumpady. Thomas, who was a marine engineer for years, amassed a considerable amount of wealth before settling alone in Kochi.
The probe revealed that he died at a hospital after falling ill in February this year and he even prepared a will before his death. Police said the probe will look at the details of the will. They have locked the apartment and directed the apartment association to not allow anyone enter it. “There is a version that the dead person donated all his wealth to two convents and a seminary. A probe is on to verify the details and to ascertain whether there is such a will and whether it’s valid or not,” police sources said.
People who are familiar with the issue said the deceased man had two friends, who were with him while he fell ill. “The friends took care of him after he became ill and took him to the hospital,” said a source at the apartment. The probe will also look at the investments and properties owned by the deceased and whether any online banking transactions took place after his death.
As per the complaint, two friends claimed to be the custodian of the deceased man’s wealth allegedly withdrew 4.57 lakh from his account. Police found the son, Thomas, who used to be a marine engineer was staying alone in an apartment in the city