E-Paper
Indian-origin Australian man held for duping Pune woman of ₹3.6 cr with marriage promise
On June 25, 2025, Shukla was apprehended at Mumbai International Airport upon his arrival from Singapore by a police team led by police sub-inspector Sushil Damre and is currently in police custody
An Indian-origin man based in Australia has been arrested by Pune Police for allegedly creating a fake profile on a popular matrimonial website and cheating a woman here of ₹3.6 crore after promising to marry her.
The victim, who originally hails from Delhi and is currently residing in the Kharadi, had created a profile on the matrimony site seeking a prospective bridegroom. In 2023, she received a message claiming to be Dr Rohit Oberoi, an Australian citizen of Indian origin.
Over time, the duo developed a close relationship. The accused visited her in Pune and other cities in India, further gaining her trust. The victim had previously received ₹5 crore as alimony after a divorce and was planning to start a mindfulness and spirituality-based education programme for children. Upon learning of her financial background, Oberoi exploited the opportunity.
He convinced her that he could scale her business to an international level and arranged for alleged investors identified as Yvonne Handayani and Vincent Kuan, who claimed to be based in Singapore. Through the fake setup, the victim was manipulated into transferring ₹3.6 crore into various accounts including Citibank Singapore and multiple Indian banks.
After receiving the money, the accused returned to Australia and began avoiding contact. He later informed the victim that he had been diagnosed with oral cancer and gradually stopped all communication. In September 2024, the victim received an email from Kuan claiming that Oberoi had passed away.
Suspicious of the developments, the woman discussed the matter with a friend, who suggested it could be a scam. She verified the details and eventually realized she had been duped.
In November 2024, the victim filed a complaint through the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP) and contacted the Pune cyber police station.
A case was registered under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 319(1), 319(2), 318(1), 318(2), 318(4) and Section 66(C) of the Information Technology (IT) Act. A detailed probe initiated by Senior Police Inspector (PI) Swapnali Shinde revealed that the person behind the identity of Dr Oberoi was actually Abhishek Shukla, a resident of Lucknow, currently based in Perth, Australia. A Look Out Circular (LOC) was immediately issued as the accused was overseas.
On June 25, 2025, Shukla was apprehended at Mumbai International Airport upon his arrival from Singapore by a police team led by police sub-inspector Sushil Damre and is currently in police custody.
During the investigation, it was revealed that Shukla had created a fake profile on the matrimony site and sent messages to over 3,194 women, raising serious concerns about the scale of this fraud.
“We are now working to identify other possible victims. The court has remanded him to custody till June 29,” said additional CP (crime) Pankaj Deshmukh.
