Bhiwandi: A woman from Bhiwandi lost ₹9.17 lakh in an elaborate cyber fraud after fraudsters posing as a UK-based prospective groom lured her through a matrimonial website with false promises of marriage and expensive gold jewellery. The accused allegedly created a fake profile, won the family's trust by sending photographs of gold ornaments, and later extorted money by falsely claiming the groom had been detained at an Indian airport while carrying the jewellery.
Profile Created on Matrimonial Site
According to the FIR registered by the Bhiwandi City Bhoiwada Police, the victim had created a profile on a matrimonial website in search of a suitable match. On June 15, 2026, an unidentified caller contacted the family, claiming to have found the profile on the website and introducing a man allegedly employed in the United Kingdom as a prospective groom.
To gain the family's confidence, the accused shared the man's profile and photographs through WhatsApp and claimed that he had already purchased gold jewellery for the bride. Images of the purported ornaments were also sent, making the proposal appear genuine.
Customs Detention Ruse Used
The fraudsters initially persuaded the victim to transfer ₹16,000 towards the delivery of the jewellery. Two days later, they contacted her again and claimed that the prospective groom had been detained by customs authorities at an airport after arriving in India with the gold ornaments. They alleged that immediate payments were required to secure his release and avoid legal action.
Fearing that the marriage proposal would collapse and believing the claims to be genuine, the victim transferred money repeatedly over June 16 and 17 through 41 separate bank transactions into multiple accounts maintained with ICICI Bank, State Bank of India, Bank of Baroda and Bank of Maharashtra.
Suspicion Arose, Police Approached
After transferring a total of ₹9.17 lakh, the family became suspicious when the accused continued demanding more money on various pretexts and the alleged groom remained unreachable. Realising that they had fallen victim to a well-planned cyber fraud, they approached the police.
Based on the complaint, Bhoiwada Police have registered a case against unidentified persons under Sections 66(C) and 66(D) of the Information Technology Act and Sections 318(4) and 319(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Police have launched an investigation and are tracing the bank accounts, digital transaction trail and other electronic evidence to identify the members of the cyber fraud syndicate.
Investigators suspect the accused operated as part of an organised racket that specifically targets individuals using matrimonial platforms by exploiting emotions and creating fake overseas profiles before extracting money through fabricated emergencies.
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