HYDERABAD, Oct 4: The statement of the aged woman who got spontaneous response of philanthropists turned out a ploy to generate money for Hajj.

The appearance of 70-year-old Zainab Khatoon at the press club on Monday with Rs83,000 cash, all in Rs500 denomination notes banned from September 30, proved a hoax.

A number of philanthropists, soon after the airing and publication of her ordeal came to her help but were dejected when Zainab couldn't produce the currency and she herself revealed that one of her relatives had told her to collect money for Hajj through this means. Hajj, she dearly wanted to perform.

The true picture emerged when some philanthropists along with the journalists went to her place.

The woman was said to be too poor. People from abroad also showed their concern and wanted to bail out the woman from her ordeal.

It also dawned that though she was widowed in her 20s but had no daughters. Dawn

Zainab failed to produce money when a man Agha Zulfiqar Durrani approached her. He told that the woman used the media to get money.

She didn't contact her relative nor produced banned notes. Durrani was asked by one of his friends in the UK to help the woman on his behalf.