Bhopal Man Loses ₹18 Lakh In Dating App Scam; Pakistan Link Under Cyber Probe

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Cyber fraudsters with alleged links to Pakistan are targeting people in Bhopal through sophisticated online scams. In one such case, a 26-year-old man was lured into a fake relationship through a dating app and allegedly cheated of Rs 18 lakh on the pretext of high-return online investments.

ACP Kotwali Santosh Patel said Shubham Namdev, a resident of Shankaracharya Nagar under Bajaria police station limits, befriended a woman on a dating application.

Claiming to be from Mumbai, she gradually gained his trust and persuaded him to invest in an online business promising lucrative returns.

Following her instructions, Namdev created an account on a website and initially transferred Rs 1.5 lakh.

The platform displayed a fake profit of Rs 30,000, encouraging him to invest more. Lured by promises of love and high returns, he allegedly transferred a total of Rs 18 lakh into multiple bank accounts.

When Namdev tried to withdraw the money, the woman allegedly threatened him through email and demanded additional payments to unlock the account.

Realising he had been duped, he approached the police. Preliminary investigation has revealed suspected links to a cyber fraud network operating from Pakistan. Police have registered a case and launched an investigation.

Two more cyber frauds reported

In another incident, Lalita Kumari Meena of Bagsewania was cheated of Rs 1.14 lakh by fraudsters posing as bank officials who offered to update her credit card details.

In a separate case, Sandeep Paroche of Chhola Mandir lost Rs 49,448 to fraudsters using the same modus operandi. Police have registered cases in both incidents.