Belagavi, June 3: A woman from Belagavi was allegedly cheated of ₹3.38 lakh by a fraudster she met through a matrimonial website. The accused, posing as a dentist working in the Netherlands, convinced her to transfer money on the pretext of clearing foreign currency and valuables allegedly held up at Delhi airport.
Source : https://www.deccanherald.com/india/karnataka/belagavi-woman-duped-of-rs-338-lakh-in-matrimonial-meet-4025172
According to Police Commissioner Bhushan Borase, the victim had registered on a matrimonial portal in search of a marriage alliance. She was contacted by a man identifying himself as Arjun Kumar, who claimed to be a native of Hyderabad and employed as a dentist in the Netherlands.
The accused allegedly gained the woman’s trust over several weeks by maintaining regular contact and claiming that his family had approved of their proposed marriage. The two remained in touch between March and May.
The suspect later informed the woman that he would travel to Belagavi and meet her on May 25. However, on May 26, he reportedly called her claiming that he had been detained at Delhi airport with foreign currency and needed money to complete formalities.
Soon after, an unidentified woman contacted the victim and claimed that Arjun was carrying a large amount of foreign currency that required conversion into Indian currency. Believing the story, the victim transferred ₹85,800 to the bank account provided.
The woman was later told that Arjun was also carrying gold and diamonds and that an additional ₹2.53 lakh was needed towards GST and other charges. Trusting the explanation, she transferred the amount.
After paying a total of ₹3.38 lakh, the victim became suspicious when further demands for money were made. Realising she had been cheated, she lodged a complaint with the Cyber, Economic and Narcotics (CEN) Police Station.
A case has been registered and an investigation is underway.
Commissioner Borase urged citizens to exercise caution while interacting with strangers on matrimonial websites and social media platforms.
“People should not blindly trust individuals they meet online. Requests for money in the name of gifts, foreign currency, gold, customs clearance, taxes or other charges from abroad are common tactics used by fraudsters,” he said.
Police have advised the public to verify identities carefully and avoid transferring money to unknown persons based on online claims.
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