Bhubaneswar: A housewife from the city here has lost around Rs 2 lakh to cybercriminals while trying to find a suitable bridegroom for her sister-in-law through a prominent matrimonial site. The 35-year-old lady has been staying along with her in-laws at Pandav Nagar under Badagada police limits here.
According to sources, the victim had created a profile with popular Indian matrimonial portal, Jeevansathi.com, as a paid member. Later, she sent a message on behalf of her sister-in-law to the profile of a Telugu-origin doctor, reportedly opened by cybercriminals to dupe innocent prospective brides.
Subsequently, the conman contacted the lady and expressed his interest in the proposal. He also started charting from a WhatsApp account registered with a phone number of United Kingdom.
Later, she sent all the details along with the photo of her sister-in-law to the crook through mail and WhatsApp.
After a few months, October 19, the accused, Rudra, informed the victim that he would visit India to meet the prospective bride to get hitched.
Later, the victim, a housewife, received a phone call from the accused cyber crook from an Indian mobile phone number. The accused told the lady that the customs department at the New Delhi Airport had detained him at the Airport demanding a penalty for carrying extra luggage and some British pound sterling (GBP).
He requested the lady to deposit Rs 50,000 in the account of a custom department official which he would settle after meeting here. One of the female aides of the cyber fraudster also phoned the lady assuring the plea of the accused as genuine.
The lady deposited around Rs 1 lakh in a different account of the accused as a penalty. Later, she also paid another Rs 1.45 lakh in the account of the fraudsters who claimed that the customs department demanded more penalties for the £5,00,000 around Rs 5 crore in Indian currency.
However, she smelt a rat when the cyber crooks demanded another Rs 5 lakh to release some more luggage November 2. The accused also sent a fake RBI portal to deceive her.
Badagada police have started an investigation into the matter after registering a case in this regard.
Notably, the cybercriminals have also looted several lakhs from one person from Dhenkanal and an elderly widow from Puri adopting the same modus operandi.
