Bengaluru crime: Married man citing ‘ED case’ cheats techie on marriage promise; booked

Bengaluru: Police have booked a man, his father and a woman suspected to be his wife for allegedly cheating a software engineer of Rs 1.53 crore on the promise of marriage.

The accused have been identified as Vijay Raj Gowda, his father Boregowda, and Soumya, who police believe is Vijay’s wife.

According to the complaint, Vijay met the 29-year-old victim, a Whitefield resident, in March 2024 through a matrimonial website. He allegedly posed as a wealthy businessman, claiming to run a firm named VRG Enterprises with assets worth Rs 715 crore. He also told the victim that an Enforcement Directorate (ED) case had been registered against him and that it had been “settled”.

The victim alleged that Vijay introduced her to his family, including his father, and falsely portrayed his wife as his sister, thereby concealing his marital status.

In later meetings, Vijay claimed that his bank accounts had been frozen by the ED and persuaded the woman to take loans and borrow money from friends, citing financial difficulties.

Police said Vijay borrowed Rs 1.75 crore from the victim, but repaid only Rs 22 lakh. He allegedly issued threats when she demanded the remaining amount. The woman later discovered that Vijay was married and had a child when she visited his house.

A case was initially registered at the Whitefield police station and was later transferred to the Kengeri police station for further investigation.