Hyderabad: A 50-year-old private sector employee from Boduppal allegedly lost Rs 14.13 lakh after falling victim to an online investment fraud orchestrated through a dating application, police said. The victim was reportedly lured with promises of lucrative returns and a personal meeting with a woman he had connected with online.
According to the complaint, the incident began on January 31 when the man came across an advertisement for the Wink Me dating application while browsing Facebook. After selecting the relationship option, he was redirected to Telegram, where an unidentified woman posing as a receptionist introduced him to another woman identified as Kavya Saanvi.
Kavya allegedly encouraged him to invest money on a trading platform, claiming that he could earn substantial profits. She also reportedly promised to meet him in person, further gaining his confidence.
On February 16, the victim registered on a website and started transferring money for various investment-related tasks under instructions from Kavya, Minaal and others. Initially, he received small returns, which allegedly convinced him to continue investing.
However, the transactions later turned into repeated demands for additional payments. The fraudsters allegedly sought money citing system maintenance, credit score enhancement, tax liabilities and withdrawal processing charges. They also demanded payments for account unfreezing, verification and other purported formalities.
Despite making multiple transfers, the victim was unable to withdraw his accumulated investment. Realising that he had been cheated, he approached the police and filed a complaint.
The supplied complaint details do not establish whether any arrests have been made or provide the date on which the police complaint was registered.
