The dating horror of a software engineer from Bengaluru! Meeting, Messages, Marriage Proposal and 50 Lakh Scam

Bengaluru: A software developer lost Rs 50,000 in an online attack Fraud after I fell in love with one Fraud after meeting a woman on one Dating app. In June 2024, the 48-year-old victim was looking for a partner when he came across a profile named Shruthi Menon. What started as casual exchanges on Telegram and WhatsApp soon turned into promises of marriage and the lure of quick profits through stock trading.

Shruthi manipulated him to invest in this Stock market by introducing him to a trading site, as the victim stated in his complaint filed with the Criminal Investigation Department East CEN. His initial investment of Rs 40,000 seemed promising when he got Rs 50,000 back in no time. Encouraged by this, Shruthi convinced him to invest more money, TOI reported.

“She asked how much I had in my account and persuaded me to invest the Rs 10 lakh I had saved, promising me a substantial return,” the victim added. After taking loans and borrowing money from friends and relatives, over the next few months he deposited a total of Rs 50 lakh into several accounts, including some named Rupal Enterprises, DAS Traders and Adhirit Engineering. He believed that his investments multiplied because the portal consistently reported higher profits.

However, when he tried to withdraw winnings of Rs 73 lakh, he was asked to pay taxes and fees of Rs 32 lakh. The victim refused to provide more money because he felt something was wrong. Shruthi continued to pressurize him for Rs 8 lakh even after he lodged a complaint on the cyber crime helpline.

The victim was suspicious about her behavior on WhatsApp video calls, where she barely moved and spoke Kannada fluently, and now believes he may have spoken to a pre-recorded message.

Police have registered a case under Section 318 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act. Investigations are underway to identify the fraudsters behind the operation.