Bengaluru woman falls for Valentine’s Day gift from 'Belgium doctor', loses Rs 1.3L

BENGALURU: A Valentine's Day promise turned into a costly heartbreak for a 34-year-old divorcee, who lost over Rs 1.3 lakh in a gift parcel scam orchestrated by cyber fraudsters, posing as a foreign doctor and customs officials.Anusha (name changed), a resident of Veeranapalya, north Bengaluru, told police she had registered on a matrimonial portal for divorcees when she was contacted by a man identifying himself as Shiva Vishnu Surendra. Claiming to be a doctor settled in Belgium, he quickly struck up friendly conversations and began speaking to her regularly on WhatsApp, building trust with affectionate messages and marriage proposals. As Valentine's Day (Feb 14) approached, Surendra told her he had sent expensive gifts and euros to India as a token of love. Two days later, she received a call from another number. The caller introduced himself as a customs official and said a parcel containing costly gifts and foreign currency had arrived in her name, but was being held back due to pending clearance charges. What followed was a classic escalation tactic. The fraudsters demanded payments under various pretexts including customs duty, tax clearance and courier handling charges. Believing the story and reassured by Surendra multiple times, Anusha transferred over Rs 1.3 lakh through multiple transactions. Her suspicion was triggered only when the callers continued to demand more money. When she questioned Surendra, he urged her to pay, further reinforcing the deception. Realising she had been duped, Anusha approached police. A senior police officer said such frauds are usually reported in the run-up to Valentine's Day or in the week following it. Similar cases have been reported in Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Kochi, where victims were lured via matrimonial or dating platforms by profiles claiming to be NRI professionals. Fraudsters use the promise of love, marriage and expensive gifts as baits.