MUMBAI, June 21 -- A couple who worked as caretakers of an 85-year-old cancer patient allegedly duped the senior citizen of lakhs of rupees and transferred his house at Dahisar East in their name as a gift for their service. The Dahisar police recently booked the couple based on a complaint from a family friend and are in the process of verifying whether the senior citizen had willingly parted with his wealth. The case was registered in April 2025. However, as the senior citizen was undergoing cancer treatment, they were able to record his statement only this week, said a police officer. He has been living alone since his wife passed away in 2020. He hired a 30-year-old woman as a caretaker. She lived in the same house as the patient, with her husband. According to the FIR, the complainant opened a joint savings account with the victim in 2007. They had deposited Rs.30 lakh for his palliative care. He said the senior citizen gave his late wife's jewellery to the complainant for safekeeping. In May 2024, the senior citizen said he was in a jam and needed money. So he asked the complainant to return his late wife's gold jewellery weighing 250 grams. On April 3, 2025, the senior citizen withdrew all the money from their joint account without consulting the complainant. When the complainant tried to meet him or call him, the caretakers prevented all contact. The complainant's concerns grew in April after a relative of the victim called him and said his caretakers are threatening and extorting money from him. She allegedly threatened to file a complaint of rape against the senior citizen. "The complainant said that he later found out that the senior citizen's flat had been given as a gift to the caretakers," the officer said. The couple was booked for robbery, house trespass, cheating, common intention, and criminal conspiracy. "In his statement to the police last week, the 85-year-old said he had willingly given his flat and money to the accused," said senior police inspector Ashok Honmane. "We even checked with the registrar of assurances, who said the elderly had signed the papers. We are verifying the transactions and authenticity of the complaint, after which we will submit a report in court. He said that there is a possibility of coercion or threats....