Guruwar Peth man loses 1.35L in online dating scam

Pune: A 29-year-old resident of Guruwar Peth was duped of Rs 1.35 lakh after cybercrooks promised him a ‘date' at a city hotel between Nov 2024 and Jan.The fraud victim, currently on a sabbatical, filed a complaint with the Khadak police on Wednesday. Inspector Manojkumar Londhe of the Khadak police said, "The victim is unmarried. He worked with several private companies in the past."Londhe said, "In Nov last year, the man searched for dating applications online and stumbled upon a link. He clicked the link that directed him to a messaging application's number with a QR code."He said, "The victim discussed the prospects of dating women in the city in the chat window and the fraudsters promised to such opportunities to meet some women.""The fraudsters then sent him a QR code and asked him to pay registration fees, dating fees and other charges. The victim transferred money to them using his UPI application. Following this, the online fraudsters sent him some photographs of women and asked him to visit some hotels," he said.Gradually, the victim ended up transferring Rs1.35 lakh."When the victim visited these hotels, he didn't find any woman/women. He confronted the suspects, but they abused him. He then realised that he was cheated and approached us," Londhe said.