Pune, 13 June 2025: A 28-year-old woman from Yerwada has filed a complaint with the Pune Cyber Crime Police after being allegedly cheated of ₹8.4 lakh in a sophisticated matrimonial fraud. The victim, who works with an NGO, had created a profile on a matrimonial site specifically for divorced individuals.

According to police, she was contacted in April by a man claiming to be an NRI based in London and involved in the real estate business. After gaining her trust through regular conversations and a marriage proposal, he shared a copy of a flight ticket, claiming he would visit Pune to meet her.

On April 30, the woman received a call from a person posing as an airport official from Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, alleging that the man had been detained with 73,000 pounds and needed ₹35,000 for clearance. When she hesitated, the man himself messaged her, pleading for help and promising repayment.

Falling deeper into the trap, she transferred money to various accounts as demands kept rising. On May 3, she was told he was detained again at Pune airport, leading her to sell jewellery and borrow money from friends to continue making payments.

Over the next few weeks, the fraudster spun more stories, including being arrested for money laundering, bribing police and lawyers, and even paying for damages after allegedly breaking a lawyer’s phone and laptop. On June 2, she also paid for his supposed medical treatment.

Realizing she had been conned after losing a total of ₹8.4 lakh, the woman stopped communicating with the fraudster and approached the cybercrime cell, which has now registered a case and launched an investigation.