Ponzi schemer Shekhar Chandrashekhar conned Chennai doctor of Rs 50 lakh

The notoriety of Ponzi scheme operator Shekhar Chandrashekhar knows no end. The master conman, who, other than duping over 500 investors of Rs 19 crore in Mumbai, is already accused of bribing jail staff and doctors to get admitted to hospitals and posing as powerful ministers' associates to stall court proceedings. He was booked in another cheating case in Chennai recently.

Shekhar Chandrashekhar

Shekhar had duped a doctor, identified as Dr A Ilango, in a Chennai hospital of Rs 50 lakh on the pretext of getting him a house while posing as a close aide of a Tamil Nadu minister.

Sources told mid-day that while he was in judicial custody for a cheating case in Chennai between April-May 2014, Shekhar got himself admitted to a local hospital. "Ilango received a phone call from a person who introduced himself as Rajaratnam, a close aide of a powerful minister in the Tamil Nadu government. Rajaratnam, who asked the doctor to take good care of Shekhar, also promised him a plush apartment for R50 lakh," said an officer from the Chennai police.

When the doctor, a resident of Annanagar (west) in Chennai, agreed, Rajaratnam got one of his associates to collect the amount from him. But, after that day, neither did the doctor get any house, nor did he ever hear from Rajaratnam or could contact him.

Call details of Rajaratnam's number pointed towards Shekhar's involvement in the case. The officer added that they suspect Shekhar only posed as Rajaratnam to cheat Ilango.

Ilango did not report the matter to the police, but after learning about Shekhar's fraudulent practices in last two years in Mumbai he approached Chennai police early this year. On his complaint, Chennai Central Crime Branch registered a fresh case of cheating and criminal breach of trust against Shekhar in April.