33-year-old Ludhiana woman duped of ₹20 lakh in matrimonial fraud

A 33-year-old city woman was duped of ₹20.37 lakh by a group of fraudsters, who contacted her through a fake profile on a matrimonial website.

Assistant commissioner of police (Cyber Crime) Vaibhav Sehgal said the accused got in touch with the complainant on the matrimonial website through a profile named “Pradeep Anand”.

The victim, a resident of Sant Fateh Singh Nagar, Dugri Road, complained that Anand introduced himself as a businessman living in Birmingham, UK. He expressed interest in marrying her and said he will visit India to meet her.

On December 22, 2020, she received a call from an unknown number, with the caller informing her that Anand had been detained at the Delhi airport for carrying 200,000 British Pounds.

The caller made her talk to Anand, who urged her to deposit ₹20.37 lakh in some bank accounts as fine, so that he could be allowed leave the airport. He promised to return the money on being released.

Later, he stopped answering her phone calls. Realising she had fallen prey to a fraud, she filed a police complaint.

ACP Sehgal said through the mobile phone numbers and bank accounts used to execute the fraud, they had identified nine people behind the crime as Hmar Khawbung Lalvenhimi of Janakpuri, West Delhi; Maya Dhan Chakma, Satte, Chhamiruddine Miya, his wife, Majina Bibi, Jatin and Mukesh, all residents of Noida; and Rajendra Dattaram Dhanawade and Rane Vasudev Harishchandra, residents of Maharashtra.

They have been booked under Sections 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code.