New Delhi, Doctor, Lawyer, Film Producer, Model, Entrepreneur Behind several online personas is a 35-year-old man who allegedly cheated more than 500 women across the country for over $2 crore using fake social media or dating app profiles, romantic stories and marriage promises to lure victims into his trap.
The accused, Anand Kumar, was arrested by a team of the South West Cyber Police for allegedly running an organized network of romance scams, honey traps and online blackmail targeting women through dating and marriage platforms, Deputy Commissioner of Police Amit Goel said in a statement.
Kumar used multiple fake identities on various social media platforms as well as on dating and marriage apps, to connect with unsuspecting women.
“He presented himself as a stable professional with an impressive background, often pretending to be a doctor, businessman or film producer to gain credibility and attract victims,” the prosecution said.
According to investigators, the accused would initiate friendly conversations and gradually build emotional bonds with the victims over a period of days or weeks. After trust was built, he would divert the call to private messaging platforms, using multiple mobile phone numbers to avoid detection.
He added: “The defendant carefully crafted his personas and maintained parallel conversations with several victims at the same time. He exploited emotional vulnerabilities and created a sense of intimacy to manipulate the victims into trusting him.”
Once he gained the trust of the victims, Kumar would provide fabricated narratives, including urgent medical emergencies, business losses, family crises or financial setbacks, to get money, the officer said.
In several cases, he also promised marriage or lucrative opportunities such as modeling assignments or admission to prestigious institutions as a means of luring victims.
“In one case, a woman was allegedly cheated $7 lakh after they were contacted through a fake profile operating under the name Vaibhav Arora. The accused initially befriended her on a dating app, but later developed a romantic relationship and promised to marry her. “He furthered his deception by presenting another fake identity, claiming that she was his girlfriend who would help formalize their relationship,” the officer said.
Kumar then fabricated stories of financial distress and sought financial help from the victim, police said. When she started demanding her money back, he stopped responding and later falsely claimed that the person she knew had died, in an attempt to cut off contact and avoid suspicion.
An FIR has been registered in the matter and further investigation has been initiated. A team examined the money trail, bank accounts and technical analysis to track down the accused.
The accused was arrested from West Bengal on March 22.
The investigation also indicated that in addition to financial fraud, the accused also allegedly engaged in extortion by exploiting private content shared by the victims.
During online interactions, he would convince the women to share personal photos or videos, which he later used to threaten them to appear on social media platforms if they refused to pay money, police said.
They said Kumar was operating at a “high level of sophistication”, using multiple mobile phones and SIM cards obtained under different identities. He often switched devices and accounts to avoid being tracked, making it difficult for law enforcement agencies to track his activities.
During questioning and examination of his devices, police found that he was simultaneously using multiple fake identities and communicating with victims across multiple states.
“The technical analysis revealed that the accused targeted more than 500 women and almost cheated or blackmailed them $“2 crores,” the officer said, adding that he had previous involvement in similar cases in Delhi and Ghaziabad.
Police also found four smartphones, eight SIM cards, three debit cards and gold jewellery, including bracelets and chains, allegedly purchased using the proceeds of crime.
“A major portion of the fraudulent money was spent on online gaming and personal expenses. Further investigations are underway to identify additional victims and trace the financial trail of the fraud,” the officer added.
This article was generated from an automated news feed without any modifications to the text.
