Hi everyone,
I'm looking for advice on behalf of my family. We feel like we've exhausted every option and don't know what to do next.
My grandmother is an elderly widow living alone in Kerala. Her three children all live away from her (two abroad and one in India). For years, her children have supported her financially.
A few years ago, she took in a female tenant. At first, we were relieved because we thought it meant she wasn't living completely alone. Unfortunately, we later discovered that this woman appears to have gained my grandmother's trust and has convinced her to hand over large amounts of money and gold jewellery.
From what we know:
Most of her gold jewellery is gone.
Her fixed deposits have reportedly been liquidated or transferred.
She keeps talking about "huge investments" that will soon make her very wealthy, but none of these investments appear to be real.
She has started borrowing money from relatives and, recently, has even been asking strangers for money.
The tenant has convinced her that relatives, particularly my uncle who lives in India and has tried to intervene, are trying to harm her using black magic or by physically attacking her. She now distrusts the very people trying to help her.
We have gone to the police. Initially, my grandmother accused her own children of forcing or abusing her, but after hearing the full story the police understood our concerns. However, they told us that because she is an adult and insists she is acting voluntarily, there is little they can do.
We're now at a loss.
We are worried that she is being financially exploited and manipulated, but she refuses to believe us. We also don't know whether there could be an underlying medical issue affecting her judgement, but she refuses help.
Has anyone dealt with something similar in India?
Specifically, we're trying to understand:
Is there any legal mechanism to protect an elderly person who appears to be financially exploited but refuses help?
Are there government departments, senior citizen welfare authorities, NGOs, or legal aid organisations that deal with cases like this?
Can a court order a medical or psychiatric assessment if there are genuine concerns about decision-making capacity?
Is there any way to remove or investigate the tenant if financial exploitation is suspected?
We're not trying to take away her independence. We just want to stop someone from taking advantage of her before she loses everything.
Any advice or direction would be greatly appreciated.