A young woman from Khanna in Punjab has been duped of ₹15 lakh in a cyber fraud that began with an Instagram friendship, a fake marriage proposal and the promise of expensive gifts from abroad. The fraudsters posed at different stages as a US-based businessman, courier officials, police personnel and even a “High Court judge” to intimidate the family with threats of arrest and legal action. An FIR has been registered at the Khanna cyber crime police station and an investigation is underway.
According to the complaint, the victim was working in Dubai on a work visa when she came in contact in 2025 with a person identifying himself as Manish Chaudhary on Instagram. He claimed to be settled in the United States and involved in the gold trade. After gaining her trust, he proposed marriage and said he was sending a parcel containing gold and diamond jewellery, an iPhone 16, three Apple Watches, 18 gold bangles, expensive clothes and £10,000 in cash.
Certified Cyber Crime Investigator Course Launched by Centre for Police Technology
Pressure begins after return to India
After the woman returned to India on August 15, 2025, she began receiving calls from a man identifying himself as Manoj, claiming to be a courier official based in Dubai and Mumbai. He said the valuable parcel had arrived at Mumbai airport and required payment of customs duty and penalty for clearance. When she hesitated, the callers threatened arrest, action by Dubai police and even death threats. Videos of other women being “arrested” were sent to create fear.
Another caller then posed as an airport official and demanded processing charges and government taxes. The family was repeatedly warned that an FIR could be registered if payment was not made. Under sustained pressure, they transferred money multiple times to different bank accounts and QR codes.
Loan taken to continue payments
On September 4, 2025, the family even took a loan of ₹1.46 lakh from a finance company and transferred about ₹1 lakh more. The fraudsters also claimed they would travel to India to resolve the matter, and the family was persuaded to book flight tickets for them.
Fake arrest drama
On September 5, the main caller said he had reached Mumbai airport and collected the parcel but soon claimed he had been arrested by police and beaten in custody. Using this fabricated story and the threat of cases against the entire family, the fraudsters extracted more money.
FIR under cheating and IT Act
Based on the family’s complaint, Khanna cyber crime police have registered a case against unknown persons under BNS Section 318(4) (cheating), Section 61(2) (criminal conspiracy) and IT Act Section 66-D (impersonation using computer resources). Investigators are examining bank accounts, call records and digital trails.
Typical cyber fraud pattern
Police said the case follows a common “romance-cum-parcel scam” pattern, where emotional bonding is created first, followed by promises of costly gifts and then demands for customs fees, taxes and legal charges under threat.
Safety advisory
- Avoid financial transactions with unknown social media contacts
- Customs duty for foreign gifts is rarely collected via personal bank transfers
- Police or courts never demand money over phone calls
- Report immediately to cyber helpline 1930 or cybercrime.gov.in if threatened
Police said efforts are on to trace the bank accounts and digital identities used in the fraud, and arrests are expected soon.
About the author – Ayesha Aayat is a law student and contributor covering cybercrime, online frauds, and digital safety concerns. Her writing aims to raise awareness about evolving cyber threats and legal responses.
