Man posing as ISRO scientist cheats Navi Mumbai woman of ₹20 lakh

The accused created a fake profile on a popular matrimonial portal, introducing himself as an ISRO scientist, and expressed his intention to marry the woman. Over the next few weeks, he won her confidence and even visited her residence in June, where he proposed marriage and then duped her

NAVI MUMBAI: A 30-year-old woman from Airoli was duped of ₹20 lakh by a man who posed as a scientist with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and befriended her through a matrimonial website.

Man posing as ISRO scientist cheats Navi Mumbai woman of ₹20 lakh

According to the police, the accused created a fake profile on a popular matrimonial portal, introducing himself as an ISRO scientist, and expressed his intention to marry the woman. Over the next few weeks, he won her confidence and even visited her residence in June, where he proposed marriage. Soon after, he told the woman he urgently needed funds to buy a plot of land in Baroda, Gujarat. Trusting him, she took a pre-approved personal loan of ₹20 lakh and transferred ₹14.7 lakh via RTGS, and over ₹5 lakh to various bank accounts provided by him.

Once the money was transferred, the accused cut off contact with the woman. Realising she had been cheated, the woman approached the Rabale police on Wednesday, after which a case was registered under Sections 69 (sexual intercourse through deceitful means), 319(2) (cheating by personation), and 318(4) (cheating) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), said a police officer.

Subsequently, the police traced the money trail across several bank accounts and froze the transactions. Of the total defrauded amount, ₹14.7 lakh has been recovered and returned to the complainant, he said.

“The accused had used multiple phone numbers to conceal his identity. He exploited the reputation of a prestigious institution like ISRO to gain the victim’s trust. Efforts are on to trace and arrest him,” the officer added.