Woman Poses as US Citizen, Dupes Nagpur Man of Rs 40 Lakh After Befriending Him on Matrimonial Site

Nagpur: In a shocking incident, a woman duped a Nagpur-based man after befriending him on a matrimonial site. Notably, the woman allegedly duped him of Rs 40 lakh on the false promise of sending $ 1 lakh from America along with a laptop and a mobile phone.

The woman, who identified herself as Suchita Das, posed to victim Sushil as a resident of New Jersey in the USA. The victim's brother had created an account on a matrimonial site to find a bride for his brother Sushil, who is a Hindu priest. Suchita contacted him in September 2019 and soon they exchanged their phone numbers.

Later, she also accepted his marriage proposal, senior inspector Vijay Akot said. Sushil once asked her to send a new mobile phone to him from the USA. She promised to send it and said that she also wanted to donate $ 1 lakh to him, the official said.

In October 2020, Suchita told Sushil that she was sending $ 1 lakh, a laptop and a mobile phone to him through courier. A few days later, he received a call from a man who posed as a customs official, and asked him to pay an amount in a few lakhs as customs duty, Akot said, adding that thereafter, he transferred money to different bank accounts as instructed by the callers from time to time.

In all, Sushil transferred Rs 40,64,853 to get the US dollars, laptop and mobile phone. However, after he realised that he has been duped, he approached the police and lodged a complaint. Police have registered a case under IPC sections 420 (cheating) and others and the Information Technology Act, he said, adding that a probe is on.

The woman has been booked along with another US national and 15 other residents of New Delhi, he said.

(With PTI inputs)