Bengaluru Gynaecologist swindled of Rs 2.5 crore, Gold by fraudster Aishwarya Gowda

Bengaluru: A Bengaluru-based gynaecologist has become the latest victim of an investment fraud, alleging that she lost approximately Rs 2.5 crore and 2.3 kg of gold valuables to a scammer, Aishwarya Gowda, who was recently arrested but released on bail for posing as the sister of Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and cheating several others.

The doctor has been identified as Dr Manjula A Patil, an obstetrician and gynaecologist posted at a private hospital in western Bengaluru. She accused Gowda of duping her for the past three years promising lucrative high returns on the investment which turned out to be fake.

Dr Patil realised she had been scammed when she discovered Gowda's fraudulent activities through the media. Apart from these, Patil also claimed that Gowda threatened her if she exposed the matter to anyone, subjecting her to verbal abuse and intimidation.

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According to Dr Patil’s complaint, Gowda first approached her as a patient at her hospital as reported by The Hindu. During her visits, Gowda introduced herself as the Deputy Chief Minister’s sister and claimed to be involved in the gold business, casinos and other large businesses. To gain Dr Patil's trust, the accused borrowed a loan from her and repaid it on time.

One day, Gowda approached Patil with a business proposal. She asked the doctor to invest in gold business, casinos and other ventures and assured her of high returns. Believing the woman, Patil handed over the money and gold between March 2020 and December 2024.

After realising she was scammed, Dr Patil approached the police with additional allegations of being threatened by Gowda. After releasing on bail on January 1, Gowda sent her driver to Dr Patil with threats over the phone, warning her against filing a police complaint or making a statement. The doctor also alleged that Gowda’s husband, Harish, along with their drivers verbally abused and intimidated her.

Based on her statements, the police filed a case against Gowda and her husband under sections related to cheating, criminal breach of trust, criminal conspiracy, and intentional insult with intent to provoke a breach of peace.

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