Trust often comes easily when someone is hired to look after an aging parent. That same trust can vanish overnight when money goes missing. A recent case from Thane shows how financial abuse can happen quietly, right inside a home.
Police in Maharashtra’s Thane district have registered a case against a caretaker accused of siphoning nearly ₹15 lakh ($18,000) from a 69-year-old man’s bank account. The incident has raised fresh concerns about elder safety, especially when caregivers gain unchecked access to phones and finances.
How the Fraud Took Shape?
Lee / Pexels / The accused, Rohan Rajbhar, was employed as a caretaker for a brief period between November and December 2025.
That short time was enough. Investigators believe he gained access to the elderly man’s mobile phone and private banking details during daily care routines.
Once inside the system, the money moved fast. A total of ₹14,97,985 ($18,000) was transferred to multiple bank accounts without the man’s knowledge or approval. The victim remained unaware until his family later reviewed his bank statements and noticed the missing funds.
The complaint was filed by the man’s 33-year-old daughter, a resident of Dombivli. She alerted police as soon as the suspicious transactions came to light. A case has been registered at the Dombivli police station under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act.
Police officials say they are now tracking the financial trail. Each transfer is being examined to identify recipient accounts and possible accomplices. Officers note that in cases like this, money rarely moves through just one person.
Elderly Victims are Always Easy Targets
Older adults often depend on others for daily tasks. Phones are shared. Passwords are written down. Banking alerts may be ignored or misunderstood. These small gaps create big opportunities for misuse.
Caregivers are often present during private moments. They see PIN entries. They hear phone conversations. Over time, they learn patterns and weaknesses. When trust replaces oversight, abuse becomes easier to hide.
Families also tend to discover fraud late. Bills continue to get paid. Daily expenses look normal. The theft only becomes clear when someone closely checks account statements. By then, the money may already be withdrawn or moved across several accounts.
The Pattern is Seen Across the World
Tima / Pexels / Similar caregiver fraud cases have been reported worldwide, showing the same playbook repeated in different places.
Access, opportunity, and delayed detection are common threads.
In South Florida, a woman was arrested for posing as a caregiver to enter elderly homes and steal banking details. And in one case, she drained about $1,600 from a victim’s account. In Wisconsin, a caregiver is facing charges for stealing and pawning jewelry worth over $30,000 from a 91-year-old woman with cognitive impairment.
Florida authorities have also arrested home health aides who stole debit cards and made unauthorized purchases worth over $600 in fuel and groceries. In San Francisco, a caregiver allegedly wrote fraudulent checks totaling $9,100 from an elderly patient’s account.
One of the most damaging cases occurred in Trinidad and Tobago. A frequent visitor, not even a formal caregiver, pleaded guilty to stealing $115,000 over several months by misusing an elderly woman’s bank card.
Online banking has made life easier for many seniors. It has also made theft faster and quieter. No physical cash needs to be taken. No bank visits are required. A few taps on a phone can empty an account.
Police say this is why many elder fraud cases now include cybercrime charges.