Mumbai, A 42-year-old graphic designer was allegedly cheated of ₹17.73 lakh by a man who lured her with a promise of marriage after they met on a matrimonial website, a Mumbai Police official said on Wednesday.
According to the police, the accused posed as an influential NGO chairman with purported links to government schemes and later threatened the victim after siphoning off the money.
Based on the woman’s complaint, the Navghar police registered a case on Tuesday and launched an investigation.
Police said the victim had been registered on a well-known matrimonial website for several years in search of a life partner. She received a marriage proposal from a profile identifying the man as Viraj Balasaheb Bhosale , a resident of Pune.
The accused allegedly claimed that his father was an IPS officer, his mother a physiotherapist, and that he himself was the chairman of a Pune-based NGO, the police official said.
He further told the woman that he had access to CSR funds and government housing schemes and helped divorced, widowed, and single women obtain homes at subsidised rates.
He initially demanded a token amount, stating it was required to arrange a house in Mumbai, the official said.
Trusting him, the woman transferred ₹5.60 lakh in instalments from her bank account. Subsequently, at his insistence, she took three personal loans and transferred an additional ₹12.13 lakh to bank accounts provided by him.
After receiving a total of ₹17.73 lakh, the accused gradually reduced communication. When the woman demanded her money back, he allegedly abused and threatened her, claiming strong political and police connections and warning her against approaching authorities, police added.
Later, upon checking the social media profile of the accused, the victim found that he had allegedly cheated several other women in a similar manner. She then approached the police.
The accused is currently absconding, and efforts are underway to trace and arrest him, the official said.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.