Promised marriage and gifts from abroad, woman loses ₹9 lakh to cyber fraudster

A cyber fraudster, who claimed to lived in London and was an employee of the Anglo-Eastern Navy, duped a 37-year-old Panchkula resident of ₹9 lakh

Promising to marry her and send her gifts from abroad, a cyber fraudster duped a 37-year-old Panchkula resident of ₹9 lakh.

The woman, who resides in Sector 15 and works with a private firm, said that the cyber fraudster used to follow her on Instagram, a photo and video sharing app. (HT File)

The victim, who resides in Sector 15 and works with a private firm, said that a man named Aman used to follow her on Instagram. He told her that he lived in London and was an employee of the Anglo-Eastern Navy.

After chatting with her for five to six months over Instagram and WhatsApp, the man told her he would marry her as soon as he returns to India.

Stating that the man always rang her up via WhatsApp, the complainant told the police, “During one of the conversations, the accused told me that he is going to send me a gift from abroad, for which I will have to pay the customs duty.”

Following this, the woman transferred ₹9 lakhs in four different accounts mentioned by the accused. “The moment I transferred the money, Aman blocked me from Instagram and WhatsApp,” said the complainant.

The accounts in which she transferred the money belonged to one Mantosh Singh, Sudeep Sen, Sanjeeb Jha, and PC Lalthanpur. A case of cheating has been registered against the accused.