Bangalore:
Cheated off his well-established business by a notorious conwoman, a builder in Bangalore now supports himself by driving an auto.
A first ranker from the prestigious Regional Engineering College at Suratkal, Tamanna TV had a construction company that employed over 150 people.
But after a chance meeting with Shalini Verma, the infamous conwoman, he can barely afford the Rs 15,000 fee for his 7-year-old son's school admission.
Till 1991, Tamanna's company had built over 10 apartments, and the business was good. The following year, he met Verma who ran a granite company called Amar Granites in the city.
Verma was a widow and so a sympathetic Tamanna helped her financially for a few years.
In 2003, Verma met Mohammed Usman, a Mumbai-based contractor, who was wanted in many cheating cases in various towns. The duo began living-in together and duped several businessmen before approaching Tamanna with a proposal to float a new company and asked him to be a partner.
Not suspecting any foul play, Tamanna gave them close to Rs 3 crore. He took a loan and paid the duo Rs 5.85 crore in a short period. They allegedly even kidnapped Tamanna in 2006, demanding more money.
The duo then went missing in 2007, leaving Tamanna in a lurch. To pay back the loan, he had to sell all his property.
Tamanna now lives with his friend, and drives a rented autorickshaw. "Verma took everything away from me. The only thing I can think of is to commit suicide. At one time, I had 150 employees; now I can't even feed myself."
On August 24, the Bangalore police arrested Verma, who claimed that she didn't have any money, since she had put it all in her daughter's name.
A first ranker from the prestigious Regional Engineering College at Suratkal, Tamanna TV had a construction company that employed over 150 people.
But after a chance meeting with Shalini Verma, the infamous conwoman, he can barely afford the Rs 15,000 fee for his 7-year-old son's school admission.
Till 1991, Tamanna's company had built over 10 apartments, and the business was good. The following year, he met Verma who ran a granite company called Amar Granites in the city.
Verma was a widow and so a sympathetic Tamanna helped her financially for a few years.
In 2003, Verma met Mohammed Usman, a Mumbai-based contractor, who was wanted in many cheating cases in various towns. The duo began living-in together and duped several businessmen before approaching Tamanna with a proposal to float a new company and asked him to be a partner.
Not suspecting any foul play, Tamanna gave them close to Rs 3 crore. He took a loan and paid the duo Rs 5.85 crore in a short period. They allegedly even kidnapped Tamanna in 2006, demanding more money.
The duo then went missing in 2007, leaving Tamanna in a lurch. To pay back the loan, he had to sell all his property.
Tamanna now lives with his friend, and drives a rented autorickshaw. "Verma took everything away from me. The only thing I can think of is to commit suicide. At one time, I had 150 employees; now I can't even feed myself."
On August 24, the Bangalore police arrested Verma, who claimed that she didn't have any money, since she had put it all in her daughter's name.
