This might be just the place to put out a scam that seems to be prevalent in the Bandra area. In the second week of December 2006, some Tata Indicom marketing executive slipped some Tata Indicom Broadband promotional literature under our main door. On checking with the building manager, he said that the Tata Indicom people had distributed such pamphlets to all flats not only in our building but in the entire area. There were two mobile numbers on the pamphlet alongwith an illegible small rubber stamp of some agency on the reverse page of the pamphlet. I needed the internet connection and called one of the two cell numbers namely- 9821774463. One Mr Sameer Ahmad answered the cell and promptly came over to my consulting room the next evening(19.12.2006). He helped me select the appropriate internet plan & I gave him a "crossed" cheque favoring "Tata". I specifically asked him if I need to complete the Payee name as Tata Indicom or Tata
Broadband, but this gentleman insisted that they are collecting all checks as only favoring Tata. I gave him a check for Rs. 4580 favoring Tata drawn on State Bank of India(Carter Road Branch) bearing Number 476910 dated 19.12.2006. He assured me that my internet connection would be connected within a week. After 10 days of this man collecting the check, we started chasing him on the two cell numbers we had. He would not take any calls & most of the times the number would be unavailable. In January first week, we realized the numbers have been disconnected & in a few days more the numbers were apparently re-allocated to some new customers. Next we called the Tata Indicom helpline & were told that my name was no-where on their records. We confirmed our bank statement that clearly showed that this crossed cheque was cleared on 20.12.2006 itself. We had a mini-struggle to try and trace out the account where this check was encashed. My receptionist followed up with one Mr Salvi at the SBI, Carter Road Branch persistently till he traced out the beneficiary of this check who had an account with UTI bank in Marol. We asked Mr Salvi to get us a copy of my issued check. I could finally get hold of this copy only in April 2007 and to my horror, my check was forged (over-written) to read the payee as Tofail Ahmad Siddiqui. Tata was touched up with a pen to read as Tofail. I personally called up the customer service helplines of Tata Indicom to complain about this scam. The tele-executives were polite but said they could do nothing about my complaint. I pleaded with them on more than one occasion that this group might have collected lakhs of rupees in this way from one locality, but they were helpless. They even took my cell number upon my insistence and request to ask one of
their senior managers to talk to me, but no one ever called. I wrote to customer service but received no reply. Finally, I went personally to the VSNL headquarters in Fort & the receptionist there directed me to the Tata Indicom Prabhadevi office. I bumped into an old friend Mr Rashid Baba who is now a senior officer with Tata Indicom & handed over the following set of documents to him:
1.My Email correspondence with Mr Rajesh Chathnath of Tata Indicom
2.My Tata Indicom Broadband Receipt No 0980657 dated 19.12.2006
3.My SBI Passbook copy showing that the amount was debited from my savings account on 20.12.2006
4.Copy of the encashed check upon which forgery was performed.
He assured me someone from the vigilance team would get back to me. I was hoping that the vigilance Department of Tata Indicom takes up this matter seriously because it is a big slur to their image, with their own agents running such a scam. I have become disheartened with the Tata Indicom response to my complaints & have also approached my local police station. The Police station was another story. No one was ready to register the complaint & a kind soul suggested that since the culprit was traced by my clinic to Marol, we must register the police complaint at Marol Police Station. Felt like doing the RDB dance there. I got frustrated and sent a copy of my complaint to Office of the Addl. Commissioner Police-Economic Offences Wing, Mumbai. On two subsequent occasions after December, I have seen this man carrying some folders/papers on Hill Road. Probably, this group is still active & ruining the Tata image completely. But no-body is bothered. Life goes on.
Just when I thought nothing is ever going to happen, I received a letter from the Office of the Addl. Commissioner Police-Economic Offences Wing, Mumbai asking me to go and meet the Sr. Inspector of Police, Bandra Police Station who might investigate the complaint. I will go there on the coming Monday.
I ask myself why am I going the distance. Why dont I just forget the 4K & concentrate on my patients. I don't know... maybe I want to make a difference to my city, my country. Hope someone gets the culprits to book. I promise to give it my best shot.
Jai Maharashtra. Jai Hind.
