THOOTHUKUDI: A couple from Kerala was arrested by the Thoothukudi cyber crime wing for duping a man of Rs 33.7 lakh after befriending him via Facebook.
According to the sources, suspect G Balamurugan and his wife Kiruba (25) got acquainted with the victim, also named Balamurugan, an autorickshaw driver from Thoothukudi, on Facebook.
After a few months, Kiruba requested money from the victim to go to abroad for a job that she was selected for. Balamurugan gave Rs 33.7 lakh on various occasions and even sold his properties to send her the money. When he demanded the money back, the couple did not respond.
Realising that he had been cheated, Balamurugan filed a complaint at the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal. Upon investigation, the cybercrime police arrested the couple from Idukki, Kerala, and remanded G Balamurugan at the Perurani district jail and Kiruba at the Madurai Central jail. The investigation revealed that G Balamurguan was earlier arrested by the Thanjavur police in a cheating case.