28 years later…

73-year-old alleges records forged by 4 persons to grab property worth crores

Mysuru: In a strange case, a 73-year-old man has approached the Police nearly 28 years after the death of his wife, alleging that her death was suspicious and that her identity was later misused to siphon off property and financial assets worth crores of rupees. Based on his complaint, the Krishnaraja Police have registered a case.

According to FIR No. 53/2026 registered on Aug. 28, 2026, complainant N.N. Prasad, a resident of Sharada Colony in Basaveshwaranagar, Bengaluru, stated that his wife, Padmaja, died on Dec. 29, 1998, at her parental home in Chamundipuram, Mysuru.

The case has been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, relating to identity fraud, forgery, cheating in property matters and breach of trust.

Marriage in 1988

Prasad stated that he married Padmaja, the second daughter of engineer Gaurishankar and Champakavalli, on Jan. 24, 1988, with the blessings of his parents after returning from his travels abroad.

He mentioned in his complaint that in 1980, he had cycled from Malleswaram in Bengaluru to New Delhi with his friends. There, they met the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who encouraged them to undertake a world tour.

Following her encouragement, Prasad and his friends travelled by bicycle to several countries over the next few years, eventually reaching New York City, USA. Prasad stated that he obtained the US citizenship on May 14, 1982 and later returned to India.

Prasad said, he and Padmaja lived happily together. In November 1998, they attended his father’s 70th birthday celebrations in Bengaluru.

On Dec. 14, 1998, Prasad returned alone to the US due to work commitments, while Padmaja went to her parental home in Mysuru, saying she would stay there for a week. Six days later, on Dec. 29, 1998, Prasad received news that his wife had died.

He said that during the funeral rites, his father-in-law Gaurishankar treated him with affection and care. Prasad stated that he did not raise any questions about Padmaja’s assets or jewellery at the time and returned to the US.

Stock market  investments

According to Prasad, Gaurishankar had expertise in the stock market and had invested in several reputed companies in the names of his three daughters.

After Padmaja’s death, Gaurishankar continued to live in Chamundipuram with his eldest daughter, Shailaja, who was unmarried. His other daughter, Tanuja, was married and living in Kanpur.

Prasad said, he gradually lost contact with the family after Padmaja’s death. Gaurishankar died in 2010, after which Prasad occasionally spoke to his sisters-in-law over the phone.

During a later meeting with Shailaja, she allegedly disclosed details that raised concerns in Prasad’s mind. He claimed that she told him Padmaja’s death had not been reported to banks and other regulatory authorities and that dividends from shares held in her name were being withdrawn using forged signatures.

Fake PAN card

Shailaja also allegedly told him that a PAN card had been fraudulently obtained in Padmaja’s name. According to Prasad, when companies issued notices seeking completion of KYC formalities for certain shares, forged documents were allegedly prepared and submitted.

The discrepancies were detected by one of the companies, which summoned Shailaja personally. However, she refused to appear and instead asked Prasad to take responsibility for all the shares held in Padmaja’s name. Prasad said, he declined.

Shailaja subsequently died, leaving the matter unresolved. Prasad alleged that after her death, valuables, jewellery and original documents kept at the house went missing.

Property records forged

Prasad stated in his complaint that when he later returned to Bengaluru, relatives told him that his wife Padmaja had died at her parental home under suspicious circumstances.

He further alleged that gold and other valuables, original documents and property records went missing after Shailaja’s death. He claimed that properties in Mysuru belonging to his father-in-law, worth crores of rupees, were subsequently transferred to unauthorised persons using forged documents.

Prasad said that when he spoke to his sister-in-law Tanuja about the family’s assets, he learnt that certain third parties were allegedly involved in creating false records to misappropriate Gaurishankar’s properties and shares.

GPA granted

Tanuja subsequently gave him a General Power of Attorney (GPA) to initiate legal action, he stated. As he began examining the records, Prasad claimed to have found that property documents had been forged and jewellery taken away.

He has accused Bengaluru residents D.L. Srikanth, 44, of Gangondanahalli, Sudha Swamy, 65, also of Gangondanahalli, Shwetha, 42, of Banashankari and R. Dwarkanath Rao of Chamundipuram, Bengaluru, of allegedly colluding to forge signatures, create fake documents and misappropriate assets worth crores of rupees.

The complaint also names Mohan, Harish, Padmanabha, Nagarathna, Gundu Rao and Dwaraki. Prasad has sought legal action against those responsible for the alleged fraud and the misuse of his deceased wife’s identity for financial gain.