Indian-origin Australian man arrested for duping Pune woman of Rs 3.6 cr after promising marriage
Pune, Jun 26 (PTI): An Indian-origin man based in Australia has been arrested by Pune Police for allegedly creating a fake profile on a matrimonial website and cheating a woman here of Rs 3.6 crore after promising to marry her.
Police on Thursday also appealed other women who might have fallen prey to a similar fraud by the conman, who posed as `Dr Rohit Oberoi', to come forward and file a complaint.
The accused, whose real name is Abhishek Shukla and who hails from Lucknow but holds an Australian passport, was arrested at the Mumbai airport on Wednesday.
"The woman, originally from Delhi and currently living in Pune, had created a profile on a matrimonial portal, seeking a life partner. The accused contacted her sometime in 2023, befriended her, and won her trust by promising marriage," said Pankaj Deshmukh, Additional Commissioner of Police (crime).
The two stayed together at various locations in Pune and other parts of India.
"The woman had received Rs 5 crore as alimony from her previous marriage and was in the process of setting up a business focused on mindfulness and spirituality programs for children. Learning about her financial status, the accused lured her into a fake business proposal, claiming he would help take her venture to the international level and arrange funding," Deshmukh said.
Shukla allegedly introduced the woman to two of his `associates', `Yvonne Handayani' and `Vincent Kuan' who purportedly lived in Singapore, and convinced her to transfer money to various accounts in India and Singapore. Over a period, the woman transferred Rs 3,60,18,540, said the police official.
Later, the accused claimed to have developed oral cancer, and gradually cut off contact with her.
"In September 2024, the woman received an email from 'Vincent Kuan' stating that `Dr Rohit Oberoi' had died. Suspecting foul play, she informed a friend, who alerted her to the possibility of a fraud....she found out that she had been conned, and approached the Pune cyber police station in November 2024," additional commissioner Deshmukh said.
The police ascertained that the accused's real name was Abhishek Shukla, and he was a resident of Perth, Australia. A case of cheating was registered and a Look-Out Circular (LOC) was issued against him.
On Wednesday, police received information that he was arriving in Mumbai from Singapore. A team led by sub-inspector Sushil Damre apprehended Shukla at the Mumbai airport and put him under arrest.
"Technical analysis of the accused's digital activity showed he had messaged at least 3,194 women using the fake identity `Dr Rohit Oberoi' through the matrimonial site. The scope of the fraud may be much larger, and further investigations are underway," Deshmukh said.
Senior inspector Swapnali Shinde of Pune Cyber Police, who is investigating the case, appealed to the women who might have been conned by the accused to contact police through email ID 'crimecyber.pune@nic and phone number 7058719371/75.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Three youths bludgeon 40-year-old man to death with brick in Baghpat
Baghpat (UP) (PTI): Police said on Saturday that three youths allegedly bludgeoned a man to death with a brick in Meetli village here following a late-night beer party.
Preliminary investigations suggest the dispute arose from a suspected illicit relationship, said police, adding that the three accused have been detained.
Police received information on Saturday morning that the body of Sonu (40), a resident of Dola village, was lying in the forest near Meetli village.
There were visible signs of severe head injuries on his body, and bottles of liquor and beer were also recovered from the crime scene, leading to the suspicion that a drinking party had taken place there before the incident, police said.
Superintendent of Police Suraj Kumar Rai said police registered a case based on the written complaint submitted by the family members.
Police sent the body for a postmortem.
According to the deceased's family members, two youngsters from the same village took him away at 8:00 pm on Friday, and he never returned home.
They said when they tried to contact him via phone, his mobile number was switched off.
The deceased worked as a street food vendor in the village and is survived by his wife, two sons, and two daughters.
