A 54-year-old businessman from Ghansoli was defrauded of Rs. 33.37 lakh by a cybercriminal who posed as a woman on a dating app. The Navi Mumbai Cyber Police arrested the accused, Sanjay Kailashchand Mina (24), from Dehradun.

The victim had joined the dating app in March 2024, where he came across a profile named Pragati Dahiya an alias used by the accused. Through frequent chats and emotional manipulation, Sanjay Mina gained the businessman’s trust and sympathy, ultimately extorting money under false pretexts, including fake medical emergencies. Between March 10 and June 30, the victim transferred a staggering Rs. 33.37 lakh to the accused.

After realizing the fraud, the businessman lodged a complaint with the Navi Mumbai Cyber Police Station in August. Under the guidance of Senior Police Inspector Gajanan Kadam, Sub-Inspector Vishal Padir and his team began investigating the case. By tracing the accused’s mobile number and bank transactions, they tracked him to Dehradun, Uttarakhand, where he was arrested.

Upon interrogation, the accused confessed to the crime, admitting that he had posed as a woman and emotionally manipulated the businessman into transferring money.

Investigations revealed that Mina, originally from Bukna, Karauli (Rajasthan), and an engineering graduate, used the fraudulently acquired money to buy a luxury Volkswagen car. Further probing uncovered that he had used the dating app and trapped multiple young women across Delhi, Dehradun, Gujarat, and Bangalore.

The Cyber Police have also seized, a Volkswagen car, 8 mobile phones, 8 SIM cards, 1 Apple MacBook, 1 hard disk, 1 dongle.

The writer is a freelancer