A 34-year-old software engineer, captivated by the promise of love and a future abroad, found herself ensnared in a sophisticated online scam, losing a staggering ₹30 lakh. The cunning fraudster, masquerading as a Canadian Non-Resident Indian (NRI), exploited a matrimonial website to initiate a deceitful marriage proposal, ultimately luring her with phantom gifts and emptying her life savings.
The victim, identified as Umashree from Banasawadi, Bengaluru, bravely came forward to file a complaint with the East Division Cyber Crime Police after realizing the full extent of the deception that had drained her financial resources.
Her ordeal began in September when she uploaded her profile to a popular matrimonial platform, hoping to find a compatible partner. It wasn’t long before a man named Jayesh made contact. He presented himself as an Anglo-Indian residing in Canada with family ties in the UK, expressing his strong desire to permanently relocate to India.
Through consistent calls and messages, “Jayesh” meticulously built a facade of trust, convincing Umashree of his sincerity. He then informed her that he was sending valuable luggage and special gifts to her Indian address, a crucial step in his elaborate con.
Soon after, Umashree started receiving calls from individuals claiming to represent a courier service. They asserted that a parcel from Canada, addressed to her, was awaiting clearance and demanded payment. Trusting Jayesh’s narrative, she initially transferred ₹37,000. The demands quickly escalated: the callers falsely claimed the parcel contained an astounding USD 100,000 in cash and a USD 200,000 cheque, requiring further payments for alleged taxes, insurance, demurrage, and currency conversion fees.
Blindly following their instructions, Umashree tragically transferred a total of ₹30.19 lakh into various bank accounts provided by the fraudsters. The chilling truth dawned on her only when they demanded yet another payment of ₹14.7 lakh. By then, “Jayesh” had consistently evaded video calls, shared only old photographs, and completely erased his profile from the matrimonial portal, leaving no digital trace.
The diligent techie, however, had meticulously preserved crucial evidence, including all chat transcripts, call logs, payment receipts, and detailed bank transaction records, which are now vital to the police investigation.