Matrimonial fraud on rise in Visakhapatnam

Visakhapatnam: A Vizag-based M.Tech girl thought she had found her dream man on a matrimony website. Relying on the site, the 26-year-old woman believed that the software engineer, who was working abroad, was her Mr Right. The man contacted the girl through email and online chat and claimed to be a software professional in Melbourne, Australia. Floored by the sweet talk of the man, the girl decided to marry him.

Convinced that he had trapped the girl, the man sent her an email requesting her to send Rs 2 lakh for some urgent requirement, citing that there was a minor problem. Trusting him, she made an online transfer of Rs 1.82 lakh to his account. After that, the prospective groom cut off all contact. Sensing that she was cheated, the girl approached cops of Cyber Crime Investigation Cell (CCIC) in the city.

Over a dozen girls, and boys too, in Vizag city have been cheated in the same manner as the youngsters never bothered to verify the credentials of the prospective bride/groom said ADCP (crime) S. Varada Raju. In some cases, the girls and their parents hesitate to lodge a police complaint, said the police officer. Inspector of CCIC, K. Satyanarayana Rao said that such frauds are on the rise in Vizag as in most of the cases either the boy or the girl falls prey to someone’s sweet talk in the cyber world.

Recently, a woman duped a Vizag-based boy of Rs 30, 000 claiming that she was a doctor in the United Kingdom and liked his profile on a matrimony site and would like to tie the knot with him. One fine day she requested him to deposit money in her account. The police said that so far, seven such cases have been registered and the investigation is on.