CHANDIGARH: A 50-year-old Italian jewellery designer, Paola Bertolini, flew from Italy, landed at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) in New Delhi, and went straight to the Gurugram Cyber Police to complain that a man she met on Instagram had feigned romantic interest in her and swindled 1,000 euros (over Rs 1 lakh) from her on the pretext of investing in a boutique in the Millennium City.
An FIR was registered against an unidentified person under Section 318 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for cheating after she lodged a complaint on September 28. In her complaint to the Cyber Crime West police station, she told police that she had met a man about six months ago who introduced himself as a fashion designer from the city. He developed a relationship with her on the pretext of marriage and proposed that they should go into business together. She agreed and sent an initial investment of 1,000 euros to rent a space for their boutique, but he cut off all contact with her after receiving the money.
Frustrated by the lack of prompt action on a complaint she had filed in Italy, Bertolini met Cyber ACP Gaurav Fogat and shared her ordeal, following which a case was registered. She also shared details of her meeting with police officials on the official social media page of the Gurugram Police.
"I came from Italy to report an international fraud (violation of FEMA with an NRI account, romance scam, promotion of drugs on Instagram, phishing mail to empty bank accounts) committed by a guy who claimed to be living in Gurgaon. I went to the cybersecurity station in Gurgaon, flying from Italy, after having talked with ACP Gaurav Fogat, who immediately gave me assistance and alerted his wonderful team. All the cyber team was very professional and kind," Bertolini wrote.
She further said that she had reported the crime in Italy, but the matter had not been pursued, as the two governments would have to coordinate and, according to her, Italian law enforcement agencies undervalued this kind of crime, which she described as "very big and bad". Bertolini thanked the police and said she was waiting for the accused to be caught and would offer her full cooperation in the investigation.
"A search has been launched for the suspect based on technical surveillance and bank account details. The accused will be arrested soon," said ACP Fogat.
A senior police officer said the Gurugram Police remained committed to taking cybercrime complaints from within the country and abroad seriously and providing prompt and necessary assistance to victims. Appropriate legal action was being taken in such cases based on available facts and technical evidence, he said.
"She subsequently approached the Italian police, but the matter was not pursued. She then contacted ACP (Cyber Crime) Gaurav Phogat in July through Instagram and told him about the incident. She travelled to Gurgaon, met the ACP and submitted a complaint regarding the alleged fraud," he said.
He further said that the cybercrime team was checking the financial trail, digital communications and other technical evidence to identify the accused and establish the sequence of events. It was also examining the social media conversations between the woman and the accused, as well as the details of the account through which the two had established contact.