Couple commits more crimes to fuel lifestyle

Pune: The flamboyant middle-aged couple, caught last month for duping an elderly man of Rs 1.49 crore, has landed in the police net once again. This time they cheated a nationalised bank by obtaining a loan of Rs 23.50 lakh against fake documents.

The husband and wife are glib talkers. They have a high standard of living and could do anything to maintain that lifestyle. Besides cheating the elderly man and the bank, they were involved in two more cases of fraud.

Senior inspector Sushama Chavan and her property cell team arrested Deepak Shankar Dhapte-Patil (50) and his wife Swati (45), residents of Hadapsar.

In February, the couple was arrested for allegedly duping senior citizen, Bhimrao Krishna Kurhade (61) of Bhandarkar Road. Kurhade had registered a complaint against them with the Deccan Gymkhana police station. Kurhade got acquainted with the couple as Deepak Dhapte-Patil used to work as vehicle contractor for the distribution company. The couple allegedly promised him lucrative returns against his investment. Kurhade invested his money and trust, but did not get back even his capital.

Chavan said a fresh complaint against the couple has been registered with the Wanowrie police station. "The Bank of Maharashtra lodged a complaint against them, accusing them of submitting fake documents to obtain a loan of Rs 23.50 lakh from the bank. The couple claimed they intended to buy property and sought loan against it," Chavan added.

Two more cheating cases will be filed against the couple in the next few days. "An individual and a cooperative bank have approached the police. We suspect the couple took a loan from the cooperative bank's Ghorpadi branch by submitting fake documents while the individual claimed he was duped in the same fashion as Kurhade," Chavan said.

Dhapte-Patil is a college dropout while his wife Swati is a school dropout. "Both have a deep desire to live life king-size. Earlier, Deepak would provide vehicles on contract to the MSEDCL," Chavan said.