New Delhi: The Delhi Police arrested a man from West Bengal for allegedly luring women by creating fake profiles on matrimony sites and subsequently extorting
money from them by blackmailing them with their intimate pictures. The accused, identified as 35-year-old Anand Kumar, a resident of West Bengal, duped 500 women by impersonating himself as a doctor, lawyer, businessman and film producer, police said.
The cyber fraudster would make false marriage promises to women, and is alleged to have defrauded them of approximately Rs 2 crore. Police investigations revealed that the accused would befriend women from several states on dating apps and matrimonial sites. He would gain their trust by posing as doctor, businessman, film producer, or lawyer. Once they start trusting him, he would promise to marry them, eventually start asking money from them under various pretexts, the police said.
How matter came to light
The case came to light after a victim filed a complaint with the Delhi police, stating that she met the accused on a dating app. She alleged that the man, posing as ‘Vaibhav Arora’, promised to marry her but later cheated her of approximately Rs 7 lakh by citing medical emergencies and business losses.
When the woman asked him to return her money, the accused stopped contacting her and subsequently sent a false message via WhatsApp claiming that “Vaibhav” had passed away. Based on the woman’s complaint filed at the Cyber Police Station, the police team initiated a technical investigation.
Accused arrested from West Bengal
The police scrutinised mobile numbers, social media accounts, and financial transaction records. During the investigation, it was discovered that some of the accused’s mobile numbers were active in West Bengal. Acting on this information, the police team conducted a raid in the region and arrested Anand Kumar.
Interrogation revealed that the accused created multiple fake accounts on matrimonial sites and other social media platforms, including WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat, to get in touch with women from several states.
Furthermore, it was also found that the accused would use private pictures and videos of the women to extort money from them by threatening to make them viral. The police have recovered four mobile phones, eight SIM cards, and three debit cards from the accused, in addition to gold bangles and chains purchased with the proceeds of the fraud.
The investigation has also revealed that he spent a portion of the defrauded money on online gaming and for his personal expenses. Two cases are already registered against the accused in Delhi and Ghaziabad. Currently, the police are attempting to ascertain who else is involved in this gang and where the defrauded funds have been invested.
