Fake 'marine engineer' dupes Bengaluru artist on Shaadi.com; police search for cyber fraudster

A cybercriminal tricked a Bengaluru woman into transferring ₹8.21 lakh under false pretenses of a marriage proposal.

In yet another case of cybercrime, a 43-year-old Bengaluru artist seeking companionship on a matrimonial site ended up losing ₹8.21 lakh to a fraudster posing as a marine engineer, Prajavani reported.

The police have registered a case under Sections 318 and 319 of the IT Act and the IPC.

The victim, residing with her family in Mylasandra in Bengaluru’s Kengeri, registered on Shaadi.com in April, hoping to find a life partner. On April 12, she received a marriage proposal from a man named Ajay Agarwal, who claimed to be a marine engineer.

Impressed by his credentials and charmed by his conversations on WhatsApp, she accepted his proposal.

Trap unfolds

Over the weeks, Ajay claimed he was on a ship traveling from the United States to Mumbai. On May 22, he messaged the artist, narrating a dramatic story about a pirate attack that forced his ship to dock at a nearby port. He requested her help to receive his belongings in India, supposedly sent through a logistics company. Believing his story, the artist provided her address.

Shortly after, she received a call from someone posing as a logistics representative, demanding ₹2.63 lakh as administrative and registration fees for delivering the documents. Trusting Ajay, who assured her the money would be repaid, she transferred the amount.

The demands didn’t stop there. The artist was asked to pay additional amounts under various pretexts, including customs fees, totaling ₹8.21 lakh. The payments were made in multiple installments from her accounts and those of her family members.

When Ajay stopped responding to her messages, the victim realized she had been duped. On November 8, she filed a complaint with the Cyber Crime Police.

Police Investigation

The police have registered a case under Sections 318 and 319 of the IT Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Investigators suspect the fraudster is part of a larger cybercrime network. Efforts are underway to trace the accused, who vanished after extracting the money.