A woman in Uttar Pradesh’s Shahjahanpur district was allegedly cheated of more than ₹15 lakh by a man who posed as a Canada-based businessman and promised to marry her after befriending her on a matrimonial website, police said on Friday.
According to Superintendent of Police Rajesh Dwivedi, the accused contacted the woman using the name Vishal Agarwal and claimed he was a businessman settled in Canada who planned to permanently relocate to Delhi by February. After gaining her trust, the two finalized their marriage online, police said.
Following the engagement, the accused asked for the woman’s address, saying he wanted to send gifts including a ring, a gold necklace and a mobile phone. Soon after, the woman received a call on December 11 last year from a person claiming to be a courier agent, demanding ₹26,000 as delivery charges for the parcel.
Police said the accused continued to extract money from the woman on various pretexts, including delivery charges for gold items and certification fees. In total, she was cheated of over ₹15 lakh before losing all contact with the man.
A case has been registered against the accused under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act at the cyber police station. Further investigation into the matter is ongoing, police said.