Mumbai police are probing what is being described as one of India’s largest digital fraud cases targeting an individual, after an 80-year-old man was allegedly duped of ₹9 crore over nearly two years by four women he met online. The victim, whose health has deteriorated since the revelation, is currently undergoing treatment in hospital.
According to investigators, the fraud began in April 2023 when the elderly man befriended a woman named “Sharvi” on Facebook. Their conversations soon moved to WhatsApp, where Sharvi claimed she was separated from her husband and living with her children. Over time, she began requesting money, citing her children’s medical expenses. The man, believing her, transferred substantial sums.
FCRF Launches India’s Premier Certified Data Protection Officer Program Aligned with DPDP Act
A Web of Deception Expands
The situation escalated when another woman, “Kavita,” contacted the man on WhatsApp, referencing his friendship with Sharvi and expressing her wish to be friends. She allegedly sent provocative messages and repeated the tactic of asking for funds for her children’s illnesses.
In December 2023, the man received a message from an international number. The sender, identifying herself as “Dinaz,” claimed to be Sharvi’s sister and alleged that Sharvi had died. She insisted that hospital bills needed to be paid. Dinaz also sent WhatsApp screenshots of earlier conversations between the man and Sharvi to bolster her claims. When the victim eventually requested repayment, Dinaz reportedly threatened self-harm, telling him that if she died, he would be implicated.
The fraud network widened when a fourth woman, “Jasmin,” entered the picture, also receiving money from the man.
734 Transactions Over Two Years
By January 2025, the victim had made 734 separate transactions, amounting to ₹8.7 crore. In addition, he borrowed ₹2 lakh from his daughter-in-law to continue sending money. The total loss reached ₹9 crore.
The scheme unravelled when the man asked his son for ₹5 lakh to repay the woman. Suspicious, the son questioned him about the purpose of the payment. Upon hearing the full account, the son recognized it as fraud and reported it to authorities.
Police sources confirm that the women are under active investigation for cheating, extortion, and criminal intimidation. Medical experts treating the victim have stated that he has developed dementia, likely aggravated by stress and emotional trauma from the incident.