85-year-old Pune man, seeking a bride, duped of Rs 11.45 lakh by online fraudsters
An 85-year-old man in Pune who was in search of a life partner allegedly ended up losing over Rs 11 lakh to cyberfraudsters after he responded to a matrimonial advertisement in a newspaper.
The police said that the victim, a resident of the Bibwewadi area, transferred Rs 11,45,350 into multiple bank accounts between April 18 and June 1 as per the demands of the 'prospective bride'.
According to the police, when the person contacted the number mentioned in the ad, he was asked to pay a registration fee into a given bank account number. 'After the registration, the person shared the details of a woman with him, saying she would be his bride. The woman contacted the victim, and what followed was a series of conversations between the two. In a few days, the woman won the trust of the victim and she made promises to marry him. She sought financial help for various purposes, and the victim went on depositing the money into different bank accounts as per the demands made by the woman,' said an officer. Despite making the payments, the woman was skirting his marriage demands, after which he approached the police.
The police at the Bibwewadi station filed the First Information Report (FIR) on Friday under sections 319(2), 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Indian Penal Code and sections of the Information Technology (IT) Act.
The police are probing the mobile number and bank accounts used by the fraudsters.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
25 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Delhi ACB arrests engineer and contractor over misuse of irrigation and flood control funds of Rs 4 crore
The Delhi government's Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) arrested an executive engineer and contractor of the irrigation and flood control department on Monday for the alleged misappropriation of more than Rs 4 crore over works that were never executed. ACB chief Madhur Verma said in a statement, 'The arrested accused have been identified as Gagan Kureel (under suspension since December 2023) and Arun Gupta, proprietor of M/s Baba Construction Company.' 'Multiple violations of the CPWD Works Manual, GFR-2005, and CVC Guidelines were detected. It also came to fore that fraudulent payments exceeding Rs 4.6 crore were made to contractors for non-existent civil works. RCC (reinforced cement concrete) drains and roads in Village Siraspur, North Delhi, were found to exist only on paper and not on the ground. Apart from this, fake performance bank guarantees worth R 2.24 crore were submitted and accepted in gross violation of established Rules,' the statement further read. The investigations began after a complaint was received by the vigilance branch of the irrigation and flood control department. A preliminary inquiry was initiated by a committee of engineers formed by the department's principal secretary to verify the works in question. The committee found that in four cases, 100 per cent of the tendered amount was disbursed, even though no work had been executed. The fraud involved the submission of forged bank guarantees and manipulated measurement and material test records. Following the findings, prior sanction under section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act 2018 was obtained and in March the FIR was registered. The ACB further said in the statement, 'M/s Baba Construction Company was awarded three tenders worth approximately Rs 5.3 crore for construction of both-side Reinforced Cement Concrete drains and roads in Siraspur, North Delhi. No work was executed, yet Rs 4.2 crore was released fraudulently.' Similarly, according to the ACB, M/s Amba Construction Company received Rs 43.74 lakh against a contract valued at Rs 38.98 lakh for repair and painting work at the CTP Network in Burari, North Delhi. Again, no work was found on site, the agency said. Sakshi Chand is working as an Assistant Editor with the Indian Express. She has over a decade of experience in covering crime, prisons, traffic and human interest stories. She has also covered the communal clashes in Kasganj, Aligarh, Trilokpuri riots as well as the North-East Delhi riots. Apart from being a journalist, she is also a National level basketball player and a coach. Before joining the Indian Express, she was working for The Times of India. ... Read More
Indian Express
30 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Gurgaon police arrest Gujarat woman linked to Cambodia-based cyber fraud syndicate
The Gurgaon police Sunday arrested a 24-year-old resident of Surat in Gujarat at the Delhi airport for her alleged involvement in a cyber fraud racket operating from a call centre in Cambodia. Khushboo was arrested in connection with a 'digital arrest' case, where fraudsters posed as police, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and Customs officers to extort money by threatening victims with fake charges of illegal activities. A Gurgaon police spokesperson said the woman will be produced in a court Monday for police remand. Two mobile phones used in the cyber fraud were recovered from her possession, the spokesperson added. The case stems from a complaint lodged on December 4, 2024, at the Cyber Crime (East) Police Station in Gurgaon. The complainant reported that her son received a call claiming his Aadhaar card was linked to hawala transactions. When he denied the allegations, the fraudsters, posing as police officers, threatened to register a First Information Report (FIR). A fake CBI officer then contacted the victim via video call, claiming he was under 'digital arrest', and coerced him into transferring money under the pretext of resolving the fabricated hawala case. The police registered a case under the relevant sections based on the complaint. The investigation, led by Priyanshu Diwan, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Cyber Crime), and Inspector Amit Sharma, revealed that Khushboo was part of a Cambodia-based call centre, Mango Park, in Phnom Penh, involved in 'digital arrest' cases. The syndicate operated in three stages — the victims were intimidated with claims of their mobile numbers or Aadhaar cards being misused, fraudsters then posed as police officers to enforce a 'digital arrest', and impersonated Customs or Income Tax Department officials to extort money through bank transfers. The police investigations also showed Khushboo intimidated victims, and was paid a monthly salary of $700 for her role. The call centre, reportedly run by individuals of Chinese origin, employed people from India and other countries to execute these frauds. Similar call centres operate across Phnom Penh and other parts of Cambodia, the police said. The probe uncovered that Rs 39 lakh collected through the fraud was transferred to a bank account belonging to a man called Surendra, who sold the account to another accused, Mitesh, for Rs 5 lakh. Acting on instructions from his brother Bhargav in Dubai, Mitesh sold the account to Khushboo. She had travelled to Dubai in November 2023 for a job through a friend's husband, and later moved to Cambodia in August 2024 to work at the Mango Park call centre. So far, 16 people, including Khushboo, have been arrested in connection with the case, the Gurgaon police said, and further investigation is ongoing.
New Indian Express
38 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
CRPF jawan caught in Surat with 22 kg ganja, blames debt from brother's cancer treatment
AHMEDABAD: Surat police apprehended a serving CRPF constable with over 22 kg of ganja, allegedly smuggled from Odisha. The accused, Seemanchal Chetan Nahak, a resident of Ganjam district in Odisha and currently posted in Delhi's CRPF unit, was caught red-handed by Varachha police during a surveillance operation acting on a tip-off. Surat City DCP Alok Kumar stated, 'Police intercepted Nahak and discovered ganja concealed in his trolley and handbag. A total of 22.258 kg of the banned substance, along with a mobile phone and other valuables worth Rs 2.27 lakh, were seized.' Police recovered an identity card confirming that Nahak has been serving in the CRPF since 2015, with previous postings in Pulwama, Kashmir, and most recently at Rohini Jail, Delhi. He had reportedly been transferred to Assam but failed to report for duty. The Home Department is currently verifying the details of his service record.
