Panvel: A 36-year-old woman from Panvel, identified as Anagha Patil, allegedly died by suicide after being cheated of ₹5.3 crore in a forex trading scam by a Gujarat-based fraudster. The Panvel City Police have booked the accused, Ravi Hareshbhai Bhadka, for abetment to suicide and launched a manhunt to trace him.
Met Accused Through Forex Course
According to police officials, Anagha had met Bhadka in 2023 while attending an online and later an offline forex course in Delhi. During their acquaintance, the accused introduced her to forex trading, claiming he had earned substantial profits through such investments.
Family Persuaded to Invest
Gaining her confidence, Bhadka later met Anagha’s family and persuaded them to invest in the forex market through him, promising lucrative returns. Initially, he paid small profits to establish trust but later collected large sums from Anagha, her father, brother, and husband — totalling ₹5.3 crore.
Over the following months, he failed to return the invested money and allegedly began harassing Anagha by demanding additional funds.
Victim Found Dead Amid Financial Stress
On October 8, Anagha was found dead at her residence in an apparent case of suicide. Her relatives later informed her father that she had recently been under severe financial stress and was trying to arrange large sums of money.
Verification of her bank transactions revealed that ₹38 lakh had been directly transferred to the accused, with the total fraudulent amount reaching ₹5.3 crore.
FIR Registered, Probe Underway
“Preliminary investigation suggests the woman took the extreme step due to mental distress caused by financial cheating and continuous pressure from the accused,” a police officer said.
Based on a complaint filed by Anagha’s father, the Panvel City Police registered an FIR against Ravi Bhadka under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code for abetment to suicide. Further investigation is underway under the supervision of senior police officials.
