Andheri resident loses ₹55 lakh in matrimonial fraud

A 41-year-old woman from Andheri was duped of ₹55 lakh in a matrimonial fraud by a man she met online. The Vile Parle police have registered an FIR against the accused.

MUMBAI: A 41-year-old woman residing in Andheri was duped of ₹55 lakh in a matrimonial fraud. The victim sold her jewellery, broke her fixed deposits, and borrowed money to raise the amount and gave it to a man she had met on a matrimonial site, who had promised to marry her. The Vile Parle police have registered an FIR against the accused.

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According to the police, the complainant works with a private firm in Goregaon as a senior manager and lives in Andheri East. After she registered on a matrimonial site, one Samarth Bhayanderkar, a resident of Goregaon West, expressed interest in her, and the two shared contact details and started talking. Soon, they met in Goregaon and decided to get married.

Samarth told her that he had a diploma in interior designing and had a shop for visa processing and selling gadgets imported from Dubai. He also claimed that he simultaneously worked with an online shopping firm on a monthly salary of ₹75,000.

After proposing, he gave an offer to her to become a partner in a big mobile shop that he was planning to open. The complainant agreed and gave a photocopy of her Aadhaar card, driving license and PAN card to him to prepare an agreement, which he never showed to her.

On October 18, 2023, Samarth asked for money from her, claiming that he had ordered mobile phones, but his consignment was stuck at the airport as he had not paid the custom duty. Believing him, she gave him her gold ornaments worth ₹13.80 lakh, which he mortgaged at a jewellery shop in Oshiwara, promising that once he starts earning profit, he would return the gold.

She also took a loan of ₹6.24 lakh as per his advice. When the accused started asking for more money, she broke her fixed deposit of ₹11.50 lakh and used her credit cards to withdraw ₹3.18 lakh and gave it all to him.

To gain her trust, the accused told her that her share of profit was ₹68 lakh, but he had invested the amount in another business, which would soon bring profit of ₹2 crore.

However, when the accused kept on asking for more money – ₹30 lakh and then ₹60 lakh - the complainant started suspecting foul play. She demanded her profit share, after which he stopped taking her calls and sent her a message saying he would not marry her.

Left with no option, the victim then approached the Vile Parle police and registered a case against the fraudster.