Engineer duped of ₹24L in 2016, accused at large

MUMBAI: Three years ago, when Soniya (name changed upon request) met the man she thought she’d share her life with, the citybased engineer could not have imagined that within a few months, she would be heartbroken and poorer by ₹24 lakh.

“This is a never-ending circle and I do not want anyone to suffer like me,” Soniya told HT, describing her experience of trying to bring to justice the man who defrauded her. “It is the responsibility of the sites because they are minting a lot of money from paid membership,” she said.

A few months after meeting the accused on a matrimonial website, Soniya started doubting the claims made by this man who had promised to marry her. When she tried to verify his credentials, she realised his details were fake. The accused had been active on matrimonial sites for over a decade and had 15 fake profiles, despite being married with a child. However, by then, Soniya had already given him ₹24 lakh.

In 2016, Soniya got a case filed. The accused was charged with cheating and kept in magisterial custody for 17 months. Soniya also approached the cyber cell and the National Commission for Women. “After 17 months, the accused got bail on a technicality and has been at large since then. Last year, a non-bailable warrant was issued against him and the police have issued a look out circular, but he is untraceable.