Delhi: Woman Falls Victim To Online Dating Scam, Loses Rs 6 Lakh To Fake Merchant Navy Officer

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New Delhi: In India, the number of online scams and frauds has sharply increased. Individuals are losing not just their private information but also their hard-earned cash. Online frauds are mostly caused by carelessness when utilizing various technologies or a lack of digital literacy.

In a recent incident in Delhi, a 32-year-old woman fell victim to a scam, losing Rs 6 lakhs to a fraudster posing as a merchant navy officer from Sweden. ()

The woman, residing in Pratap Nagar, shared her story with the police, recounting her experience with a person named Pradeep Kumar Thakur, whom she had been in contact with since September 15. ()

Thakur claimed he wanted to settle in India permanently with his mother and 5-year-old daughter. They exchanged numbers and continued chatting on WhatsApp.

Thakur informed her about his plans to relocate and mentioned that his agent had booked a flight from Lisbon to Delhi. However, things took a turn when he said the agent mistakenly booked a flight to Mumbai, and he would then take another flight to Delhi.

On October 16, the woman received a WhatsApp call from Thakur, claiming he was stuck at Mumbai Customs and needed help. Shortly after, she got a call from a Mumbai woman posing as a Customs official, stating that Thakur had been detained with a cheque exceeding the allowed limit for overseas travelers in India, amounting to Rs 2 crore.

Feeling pressured and believing the intricate tale, the woman transferred Rs. 6 lakhs to the scammer. Later, she realized she had been deceived, leading to the registration of a police case on November 30 under sections 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) and 34 (common intention) of the IPC. Authorities are now investigating the incident.