New Delhi — What began as a search for a life partner ended in financial ruin for a 42-year-old PhD scholar from Ghaziabad, who lost ₹49 lakh after being coaxed into a fraudulent online trading scheme.
According to police officials, Abhishek Chaudhary connected with a woman on a matrimonial platform in September. Their conversations, initially centered around family and long-term compatibility, soon veered into discussions of investment opportunities. The woman claimed to be involved in real estate and a flourishing trading business in Punjab and Delhi-NCR.
Within days, she introduced Chaudhary to what she described as a “lucrative forex trading opportunity.” She repeatedly urged him to register through links sent on WhatsApp, though the links frequently changed—an early red flag he failed to recognize.
Chaudhary told authorities that the platform required identification verification and a minimum deposit. At first, the trading interface appeared legitimate, showing consistent returns on investments. The illusion of profit was further reinforced as he was prompted to convert Indian rupees to dollars and transfer them into accounts controlled by the scammers.
Over several weeks, Chaudhary made more than ten separate transfers amounting to ₹49 lakh. But when he attempted to withdraw what he believed were his profits, the platform demanded an additional payment—described as a 30 percent “tax.”
Repeated failures to retrieve his funds finally alerted him to the scam, prompting him to approach authorities.
Piyush Kumar Singh, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Cybercrime), noted that similar complaints have surged in recent months. “Fraudsters prey on the anonymity of online platforms, blending emotional manipulation with financial deceit,” he said. “We urge people to exercise extreme caution when sharing personal details or conducting transactions with individuals met solely online.”
Police say cases combining romance scams and investment fraud are rising sharply across India, driven in part by the growing use of encrypted messaging apps and fake investment dashboards.
The investigation is ongoing. Banks have been notified to trace the flow of funds, though officers warn that recovery in such cases is often difficult.
