<p>Belagavi: A woman from the city was allegedly cheated of Rs 3.38 lakh by a fraudster she met through a matrimonial website. The accused, posing as a dentist working in the Netherlands, convinced her to transfer money on the pretext of clearing foreign currency and valuables held up at the Delhi airport.</p>.<p>Police Commissioner Bhushan Borase told reporters here on Tuesday that the victim, Ankita (name changed), had registered on a matrimonial website seeking a marriage alliance. She was contacted by a man identifying himself online as Arjun Kumar, who claimed to be originally from Hyderabad and currently employed as a dentist in the Netherlands.</p>.<p>According to Borase, the accused gained the woman's trust over several weeks, claiming that his family had approved of their proposed marriage. The two remained in contact between March and May.</p>.<p>Arjun allegedly informed Ankita that he would travel from the Netherlands to Belagavi and meet her on May 25. However, on May 26, he called her claiming that he had been detained at the Delhi airport with foreign currency and lacked Indian currency to complete the necessary formalities.</p>.<p>Soon afterwards, an unidentified woman contacted Ankita and claimed that Arjun was carrying a large amount of foreign currency and needed to pay Rs 85,800 to get it converted into Indian currency. Believing the claim, Ankita transferred the amount to the bank account provided, Borase said. </p>.<p>He said that the woman later called again, stating that Arjun was also carrying gold and diamonds and an additional Rs 2.53 lakh was required towards GST and other charges. Trusting the explanation, Ankita transferred the money as well.</p>.Woman in Mangaluru duped of Rs 6.84 lakh in parcel scam.<p>After paying a total of Rs 3.38 lakh and receiving further demands for money, Ankita realised she had been cheated and lodged a complaint with the Cyber, Economic and Narcotics (CEN) police station, he said.</p>.<p>A case has been registered and further investigation is underway.</p>.<p>Borase urged the public to exercise caution while interacting with strangers on matrimonial websites and social media platforms.</p>.<p>“People should not blindly trust individuals they meet online. Requests for money in the name of gifts, foreign currency, gold, customs clearance, taxes or other charges from abroad are common tactics used by fraudsters. Such scams have been reported for many years,” he said.</p>
<p>Belagavi: A woman from the city was allegedly cheated of Rs 3.38 lakh by a fraudster she met through a matrimonial website. The accused, posing as a dentist working in the Netherlands, convinced her to transfer money on the pretext of clearing foreign currency and valuables held up at the Delhi airport.</p>.<p>Police Commissioner Bhushan Borase told reporters here on Tuesday that the victim, Ankita (name changed), had registered on a matrimonial website seeking a marriage alliance. She was contacted by a man identifying himself online as Arjun Kumar, who claimed to be originally from Hyderabad and currently employed as a dentist in the Netherlands.</p>.<p>According to Borase, the accused gained the woman's trust over several weeks, claiming that his family had approved of their proposed marriage. The two remained in contact between March and May.</p>.<p>Arjun allegedly informed Ankita that he would travel from the Netherlands to Belagavi and meet her on May 25. However, on May 26, he called her claiming that he had been detained at the Delhi airport with foreign currency and lacked Indian currency to complete the necessary formalities.</p>.<p>Soon afterwards, an unidentified woman contacted Ankita and claimed that Arjun was carrying a large amount of foreign currency and needed to pay Rs 85,800 to get it converted into Indian currency. Believing the claim, Ankita transferred the amount to the bank account provided, Borase said. </p>.<p>He said that the woman later called again, stating that Arjun was also carrying gold and diamonds and an additional Rs 2.53 lakh was required towards GST and other charges. Trusting the explanation, Ankita transferred the money as well.</p>.Woman in Mangaluru duped of Rs 6.84 lakh in parcel scam.<p>After paying a total of Rs 3.38 lakh and receiving further demands for money, Ankita realised she had been cheated and lodged a complaint with the Cyber, Economic and Narcotics (CEN) police station, he said.</p>.<p>A case has been registered and further investigation is underway.</p>.<p>Borase urged the public to exercise caution while interacting with strangers on matrimonial websites and social media platforms.</p>.<p>“People should not blindly trust individuals they meet online. Requests for money in the name of gifts, foreign currency, gold, customs clearance, taxes or other charges from abroad are common tactics used by fraudsters. Such scams have been reported for many years,” he said.</p>
