A 63-year-old man from Bengaluru's Horamavu has reportedly been duped of over Rs 32 lakh in a WhatsApp-based dating scam. The fraudsters lured him with promises of meetings with “high-society women.”
The scam took place between September 5 and October 18. The victim approached the East CEN Crime Police on October 23, after realising he had been deceived.
Police said the fraud began when the man was contacted by individuals claiming to represent an exclusive dating service that offered introductions to elite women, as per a Times Of India report.
Initially, the man, from Horamavu in East Bengaluru, was asked to pay a small registration fee of around Rs 1,950. After that, he was sent photographs of three women and asked to choose one. He selected a woman named Ritika and started chatting on WhatsApp, who promised to meet him in person.
Shortly before Dussehra, she told him she would be visiting family and asked him not to contact her for a few days, and introduced him to another woman named Priti, stating that she would be arranging their meeting.
To proceed, the man was asked to pay various charges, including processing fees, coordination expenses, membership upgrades, and service costs.
Every time he transferred money, he was informed that additional payments were needed to finalise the arrangements. Believing he was about to meet her, he transferred funds in multiple phases to different bank accounts. Over several weeks, he ended up sending approximately Rs 32.2 lakh. When he hesitated to make further payments, the scammers threatened him, and that is when he realised he was being scammed.
The victim filed a complaint under cyber crime and cheating charges. Authorities have registered a case under the Information Technology Act and Section 318 (cheating) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Investigators are now tracing the money trail and identifying the suspects behind the racket.
