Bengaluru man in search of partner online loses Rs 44 lakh to cyber fraud

Bengaluru: A man from western Bengaluru lost over Rs 44 lakh to a cyber fraud while looking for a partner online, police officials said.

Sharan PS (name changed), 34, from Ullal, believed the person communicating with him was genuine. On May 5, while browsing a matrimonial website, he sent a request to a profile named Archana.

Archana accepted the request and asked Sharan to move the conversation to WhatsApp. Believing she was a woman working in Germany, he shared his number and began chatting.

Over the next few days, both exchanged personal details and interests. Archana then sent him a link to a fake cryptocurrency investment website, which focused on Bitcoin, and explained its benefits.

Trusting her, Sharan created an account on the fake site, www.bitcoin-az.com, and transferred Rs 1.50 lakh to a bank account shared by the suspect. The site’s dashboard showed the invested amount along with a notional gain of Rs 10,000.

Between May 18 and June 23, Sharan transferred Rs 44,97,000 to at least seven bank accounts and multiple UPI IDs provided by the suspect.

“During this period, the suspect stayed in constant touch, chatting intimately and encouraging him to keep transferring money,” a police officer said.

When Sharan tried to withdraw his funds, the suspect demanded additional investments and eventually cut off contact. The West CEN police have registered an FIR and launched a probe.