Bengaluru: For a 31-year-old man from Bengaluru’s Cantonment area, it was a love story turned nightmare. What began as a hopeful search for a life partner on a matrimonial website quickly spiralled into a ruthless trap, as a woman posing as a London-based bride manipulated him into pouring his savings into fake crypto schemes — leaving heartbreak and financial ruin in her wake. He lost Rs 24 lakh in the process.According to the complaint filed by Ajay (name changed), the scam unfolded between July 12 and Sept 13. Ajay had registered on a matrimonial platform a few months earlier. On July 12, he received an expression of interest from a profile named Tharani Srinivasan who claimed to be a business professional.After exchanging initial messages, Tharani claimed she was originally from Tamil Nadu and that her family lived in Chennai. Within days, she convinced Ajay of her interest in marrying him and said she would travel to India within a couple of months to discuss marriage. She maintained regular communication via WhatsApp using the UK number +44 7718648834 and under the display name Sree Devi Bala. Once a personal connection was established through audio and video calls, Tharani introduced the idea of investing in a cryptocurrency trading platform as a way to secure their financial future. She advised Ajay on when and how to invest, claiming that high returns would be possible. She also introduced him to others posing as cryptocurrency advisors.Ajay was directed to create an account on platforms named “m.bitcoin-on.com” and “m.bitcoin-av.com”, where he was given a user ID. Trusting his advisors, he began investing on July 22. Initially, he transferred Rs 50,000 and Rs 80,000 to two accounts. Over the next two months, he sent Rs 24 lakh across 12 transactions to different accounts controlled by the fraudsters.The platform displayed profits after each investment to build trust. However, when Ajay attempted to withdraw his funds, he was repeatedly asked to deposit more money, citing processing fees, taxes, and other charges. The fraudsters exerted emotional pressure and blackmailed him into transferring further amounts.Eventually, when Ajay demanded accountability, Tharani went incommunicado. Realising he had been conned, Ajay approached the East CEN Crime police station with screenshots of chats and transaction records. A case has been registered under the Information Technology Act and section 318 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (cheating).
