22 May,2026 07:43 AM IST | Mumbai | Aishwarya Iyer
The complainant had created a Bumble profile nearly two years ago as he was looking for a woman for marriage. Representation Pic
What began as a promising Bumble match for a Byculla-based interior designer ended in an alleged cyber fraud that drained Rs 21.5 lakh from his bank account. The 38-year-old businessman was allegedly befriended by a woman on the dating app, who later moved the conversation to WhatsApp and lured him into investing in a purported online trading platform with promises of huge returns. He eventually transferred lakhs before discovering that the profits displayed on the platform were allegedly fake and the money could not be withdrawn.
The complainant had created a Bumble profile nearly two years ago as he was looking for a woman for marriage. On March 25, he came across the profile of a woman identifying herself as "A, 36 (age)", liked her profile and sent her a request. After she accepted, the two began chatting regularly. The woman allegedly introduced herself as "Ananya Sharma", residing in Delhi.
The bank accounts and digital trail linked to the alleged scam are being investigated by the police. Representation Pic/iStock
Police said the woman initially asked him to continue conversations on Telegram before eventually shifting to WhatsApp. The two remained in touch through chats as well as phone calls and discussed their personal situations over several days, helping build trust between them.
Within barely a week of matching, the woman allegedly introduced the complainant to online trading. She claimed she earned huge profits through a platform linked to a company called "Darwinex" and convinced him that he, too, could make substantial returns by investing money. She allegedly sent him a link to a trading website where he registered and saw a dashboard created in his name.
The victim was allegedly told to make an initial investment of Rs 50,000 into a bank account. Soon after transferring the money on April 1, he allegedly saw the amount reflected in the trading dashboard, strengthening his belief that the platform was genuine.
Encouraged by the apparent profits displayed online, the victim allegedly transferred larger sums over the next few weeks. Police said he transferred Rs 10 lakh on April 6 and another Rs 11 lakh on April 20 into different bank accounts allegedly shared by the accused. In total, he invested Rs 21.5 lakh.
"The trading platform later showed profits amounting to 76,848.95 dollars - approximately Rs 69 lakh in Indian currency. Believing he had earned huge returns, the victim allegedly attempted to withdraw the money," a police officer said.
The fraud allegedly unravelled when he was told that he would have to pay 30 per cent tax on the profits before any withdrawal could be processed. When he repeatedly asked for his money back, the accused allegedly gave evasive replies and continued demanding additional payments.
The victim later approached the cyber-crime helpline and subsequently lodged a complaint with the Cyber Police Station, Central Division. Police have registered a case under multiple sections related to cheating, impersonation and cyber fraud, and are tracing the bank accounts and digital trail linked to the alleged scam.
