Daijiworld Media Network – Navi Mumbai
Navi Mumbai, Jul 7: A 62-year-old man from Navi Mumbai’s New Panvel area has reportedly been cheated of Rs 73.72 lac after being lured into a fraudulent gold trading scheme by a woman he met on a dating app, police said on Monday.
According to officials at the Khandeshwar police station, the woman, who identified herself as Zia, contacted the victim through the app between March and May 2024. The two began chatting regularly on WhatsApp, during which the woman convinced the man to invest in a gold trading application, promising lucrative returns.
Over the next three months, the man invested Rs 73.72 lac in the scheme. However, when he failed to receive any returns, he grew suspicious. His attempts to reach the woman went unanswered, and she eventually cut off all communication.
Realising he had been duped, the victim lodged a police complaint. Based on a preliminary investigation, a case was registered on July 4 under IPC sections 420 (cheating) and 34 (common intention), along with relevant sections of the Information Technology Act.
Police have launched a probe and are currently working to trace the accused and track digital footprints related to the scam.