A 37- year old woman from Bengaluru allegedly lost Rs. 4.5 Lakh. Police reports suggest that the woman lost the money to a man she met on an online dating platform, Tinder.
Police confirmed that the woman connected with the man on Tinder almost a month ago. They also stated that the accused, Advik Chopra, is a Mumbai-based individual.
“Unbeknownst to her, Chopra had registered under a false identity. Intrigued by his profile, she reciprocated the interest, resulting in a match. During their conversations on Whatsapp, Chopra told the woman that he worked as a medical practitioner in London, UNited Kingdom,” said an officer, according to a report by The Indian Express.
Tinder has been in the middle of several controversies over the cases of fake accounts and fraudulent practices
According to the statements given by the woman, she fell in love with the man after the initial conversations. Following the early chats, the man expressed his desire to meet the woman and said that he would fly down to Bengaluru from Dubai.
The woman continued in her complaint that she also received a call from the airport from a man claiming to be an official from the Airport Authority of India.
The woman stated that the official, who later turned out to be a fraud, informed her that Chopra was caught carrying unaccounted cash. He insisted that a payment of Rs. 68,500 was required for Chopra’s travel to Bengaluru.
Credits – The Indian Express
The man allegedly demanded Rs.1.8 lakh as fees and then an additional Rs. 2.06 lakhs as processing charges. The woman trusted that Chopra was in the country only to meet her, and made the payments.
“As I was convinced that Chopra had travelled all the way from London to see me, I was deeply distressed and anxious about the difficulties he was facing. This blinded me from harbouring any doubt about the authenticity of the person requesting money. I simply wanted to ensure Chopra’s smooth exit from the airport so that I could meet him as soon as possible,” said the woman.
Soon after transferring the money the woman grew suspicious when the fraudulent officer demanded an additional Rs. 6 lakh.
“As she inquired further, the call abruptly ended, and Chopra ceased all communication. The woman soon discovered that Chopra’s profile on Tinder had been deleted, and her attempts to reach out to Tinder customer support proved futile,” said an officer.
