Bengaluru techie loses Rs 55 lakh to cyber fraudster disguised as prospective bride on Vokkaliga matrimony website

Bengaluru: A Bengaluru techie lost over Rs 55 lakh to a cybercriminal he believed was a prospective bride he met on a matrimonial portal.

The 32-year-old victim from Ullal Upanagara had matched with a user named Niharika Gowda on a Vokkaliga matrimonial platform. They began chatting, and she soon brought up marriage.

Gaining his trust, she convinced him to invest in cryptocurrency and explained how profitable it was. She sent him a link to a fake website and guided him to create a wallet.

The victim initially transferred Rs 1 lakh. As the site showed gains, he continued investing, eventually transferring Rs 55.64 lakh across multiple transactions.

He realised he had been conned when he could not withdraw funds and the woman stopped responding.

The police have registered a case under the Information Technology (IT) Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). A probe is underway.