A 32-year-old software engineer from Ullal Upanagara in Bengaluru lost ₹55.64 lakh after falling victim to an elaborate online scam carried out by a cybercriminal posing as a prospective bride on a matrimonial platform. The fraudster, using the name Niharika Gowda on a portal for the Vokkaliga community, gained the engineer’s trust before luring him into a fake cryptocurrency investment scheme.
Their initial interaction on the matrimonial website soon turned into regular conversations about marriage, creating a sense of trust and emotional connection. The fraudster took time to build a relationship, gradually convincing the techie of her sincerity and intentions. This careful manipulation played a key role in making the engineer vulnerable to financial exploitation.
Once trust was firmly established, the impersonator introduced a supposed opportunity to invest in cryptocurrency. She shared a link to a fake website that looked professional and credible. She also guided the victim on setting up a digital wallet and making transactions. Trusting her advice, the man made an initial investment of ₹1 lakh, which was falsely shown as yielding immediate profits on the fake site.
Encouraged by these fake gains, engineer proceeded to invest more money in several instalments over time, eventually transferring ₹55.64 lakh. The scam was carefully executed, with the fake profits constantly reinforcing his belief that the investment was legitimate and growing.
The fraud came to light when the man tried to withdraw his supposed earnings and found that the website had no option to retrieve funds. At the same time, the fraudster cut off all communication, leaving him with no way to recover his money. Realising he had been scammed, engineer filed a police complaint.
Authorities have registered a case under the Information Technology Act and relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. An investigation is now underway to trace the accused and dismantle the network involved in the online scam.
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