Mumbai, Feb 05: A shocking case of online fraud has come to light in Mumbai, where a 42-year-old woman was allegedly cheated of Rs 17.73 lakh by a man she met through a matrimonial website, under the pretext of marriage and false promises of a government housing scheme.
Contact through matrimonial website
According to the FIR, the complainant, Megha Anand Ugle, 42, a graphic designer residing at New PMGP Society, MHADA Colony, Mulund (East), had registered on the Jeevansathi matrimonial website in search of a life partner after her divorce in 2012.
On September 29, 2025, she received a marriage proposal from an ID registered in the name of the accused. Initially ignoring it, she accepted the request on October 18, 2025. The accused, identified as Viraj Balasaheb Bhosale, 45, a resident of Talegaon Dabhade, Pune, contacted her the next day over the phone.
False claims and assurances
Bhosale allegedly claimed that his father was a senior IPS officer, his mother a physiotherapist, and that his sister and mother lived in the UK. He further claimed to have close links with politicians and said he was the chairman of a Pune-based NGO.
As their conversations continued, Bhosale told the complainant that he worked with CSR funds, the Nirbhaya Fund and government schemes, through which he helped divorced women, widows and single mothers obtain government funds and low-cost homes in Mumbai.
Money transferred on promise of house
On October 20, 2025, he allegedly lured her by promising a house in Mumbai at a subsidised rate under these schemes. He told her that the scheme would be approved only if she took three personal loans in her name and paid an advance (token amount) of Rs 7 lakh. Trusting him, the complainant initially transferred Rs 5.60 lakh to his bank account.
Between October 20 and October 26, 2025, the woman took three personal loans from her HDFC Bank salary account — Rs 1.63 lakh, Rs 4 lakh and Rs 6.50 lakh — and transferred the entire amount to Bhosale’s bank account. In total, she transferred Rs 17.73 lakh to him.
Accused allegedly threatened complainant
After receiving the money, the accused allegedly started avoiding her calls. When she demanded a refund, he allegedly abused, threatened and mentally harassed her, claiming he had political and police connections and that no action could be taken against him.
Suspecting fraud, the complainant checked Bhosale’s Facebook profile, Viraj Bhosale, where comments under his photos suggested that several others had also been cheated by him. Realising she had been duped, she approached the Navghar police station and lodged a complaint.
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Case registered
Police have registered a case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Act, and further investigation is underway.
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