PUNE: A 25-year-old hotel management professional allegedly posed as a woman on online social media platform, befriended an LLB student for nearly nine months and duped him of cryptocurrency worth ₹1.5 lakh by luring him into a fake investment opportunity. Pune cyber police arrested the accused after tracing the digital trail to his real identity, police said on Friday.
The accused, Kunal Jitendra Admane of Parvati, was arrested on August 31. The fraud allegedly took place between October 2, 2025 and July 19, 2026, and an FIR was registered at the Pune Cyber Cell on August 13.
According to the police, Admane created a fake online account in the name of “Prinsika Joshi”, using a woman’s photograph and allegedly a female voice during phone conversations with the 23-year-old complainant.
The complainant, a law student, accepted a friend request from the account and gradually developed a friendship with the person behind it. After gaining his trust through regular chats and calls, the accused allegedly introduced him to cryptocurrency investments, promising attractive returns.
Police said the complainant subsequently transferred 1,468 USDT cryptocurrency, worth around ₹1.5 lakh, in multiple transactions from his crypto wallet to a wallet allegedly controlled by Admane.
The fraud came to light when the complainant sought details of his investment and returns. The person behind the account allegedly stopped responding, while the associated online accounts were shut down. The complainant then approached the cyber police.
{{/usCountry}}The fraud came to light when the complainant sought details of his investment and returns. The person behind the account allegedly stopped responding, while the associated online accounts were shut down. The complainant then approached the cyber police.
{{/usCountry}}Investigators analysed the online ID, mobile number and other technical details and traced the account to Admane. Further investigation allegedly established that there was no woman named Prinsika Joshi and that Admane had created the fake identity to conceal his real identity.
“After establishing trust, the accused allegedly lured the complainant into cryptocurrency investment and transferred the money to his own crypto wallet,” police said.
Police are probing whether Admane used the same modus operandi to target other people.