21-06-2025
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.
