Rajeev Kumar (name changed), a resident of Edavanakkad in Kochi, was searching for a life partner when he, heeding the advice of his relatives, decided to open an account on a matrimonial site. There, after carefully reviewing several profiles, he sent requests to a few women that matched his preferences. Only to be met mostly with silence.
It was during this phase that he received a request from a woman named Sruthy. She introduced herself as a Bengaluru-based professional working in the UK. Impressed by her profile pictures and warm responses, Rajeev gradually developed a friendship with her.
As their conversations grew frequent, trust too deepened. Moreover, she expressed her heartfelt desire to be with him forever and promised marriage.
However, this was all part of an elaborate financial fraud and the so-called ‘Sruthy’ was a man posing as a woman. With a promise of marriage, he intended to loot unsuspecting victims on the matrimonial site and Rajeev was his latest prey.
Detailing the modus operandi of the fraud scheme, Sunil Thomas, the former Station House Officer (SHO) of Njarakkal police station who was part of the investigation, says, “After establishing trust, the fraudster posing as a woman painted an enticing picture of a luxurious future life filled with financial security. To convince the victim, the fraudster claimed that crypto trading was an easy and highly profitable way to make money.”
The moment that the victim heeded this advice, he fell into an elaborate financial trap, the officer says. Soon, the victim was forced to download KuCoin and DuneCoin apps and was instructed to invest in cryptocurrency via the KuCoin app. A sum of Rs 7,44,000 was transferred from the Federal bank account between October 2023 and February 2024. Later, the fraudster prompted him to deposit it in the DuneCoin trading app for higher returns.
However, the deception did not stop there. Using fake customer service interactions, the fraudster swindled an additional Rs 32,93,306 from the victim between October 6, 2023, and February 2024, systematically draining his savings.
“As the victim noticed the frequent and unexplained losses, he raised concerns with his so-called fiancee (fraudster). However, unlike before, her responses became vague and distant. Sensing something wrong, the victim finally suspected fraud and decided to approach the police on the condition that his identity remained undisclosed,” said Sunil.
After receiving the complaint, Njarakkal police reported the case to Ernakulam Rural District Police Chief Vaibhav Saxena. Considering the gravity of the fraud and the substantial financial loss, Saxena formed a special probe team to investigate the matter. Under his directives, the police analysed the fraudulent matrimonial profile, examined chat records, and traced the transactions. The investigation led them to Mujeeb Rahman, 45, who hails from Vengara in Malappuram. The mastermind of the fraud was strategically apprehended on March 11. Initially, he denied any involvement, but as evidence mounted, he confessed that he orchestrated the fraud.
Mujeeb has been remanded after being presented before the court. Now, the police are expanding their investigation, probing whether the accused was involved in similar scams and whether others assisted him in executing the fraud scheme.