₹73.72 lakh gone! Elderly man in Mumbai meets woman on dating app, gets duped in gold trading fraud
A Mumbai elderly man was defrauded of ₹73.72 lakh by a woman named Zia, whom he met on a dating app. She convinced him to invest in a gold trading scheme, but after no returns, he reported the incident to the police, leading to an investigation.
AN elderly man from Mumbai was allegedly duped of ₹73.72 lakh after a woman identified as Zia, whom he met on a dating application, lured him to invest in a gold trading scheme for maximum returns, according to police.
The man lives in the New Panvel area, and both came into contact between March and May 2024.
After initial conversations, both had the discussion on WhatsApp and then only the woman deceived the man, an official from Khandeshwar police station stated.
The woman promised the victim high returns and convinced him to invest through a particular trading app. Over three months, he invested ₹73.72 lakh, an official said. However, when no amount of returns was transferred to his account, the man became suspicious and realised he may have been duped.
When he attempted to ask about the returns she vowed and his invested funds, the woman didn't reply and later cut off all communication, the official mentioned. This led to the registration of a complaint with the police.
The official said the police filed a case under sections 420 (cheating) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code and applicable provisions of the Information Technology Act after a preliminary enquiry on 4 July. He added that the police were investigating to locate the accused and follow the digital traces connected to the fraudulent transactions.
Similar cases earlier
In June 2025, a Mumbai businessman in his 50s was deceived by four women he befriended on a social media platform. They convinced him to invest in fake dollar trading schemes, leading to a loss of nearly ₹80 lakh, according to reports.
In May this year, a banker and two others were arrested for scamming an IT professional of ₹69 lakh by promising high returns or “good profits” from online share market investments. The victim was provided with fake trading accounts and coerced into transferring funds.
In 2019, a 65-year-old man from Mumbai lost ₹46 lakh after being scammed by a fraudulent dating website. He had registered to meet young women and was subsequently coerced into making multiple payments for various services.
