BENGALURU: A 33-year-old bank employee from Horamavu lost ₹34 lakh after falling victim to an elaborate cryptocurrency investment scam orchestrated by cybercriminals posing on a matrimonial website.
According to a complaint filed with the East CEN Crime Police, the scam took place between April and June 24. The victim, identified as Nirmal (name changed), had registered on a popular matrimonial platform in April in search of a life partner.
Within a week, he received interest from a profile under the name Mahima Majji, who claimed to be a finance professional working at a UK hospital and originally from Andhra Pradesh. Their interactions soon moved to WhatsApp, where they exchanged regular messages and even had a video call, according to the complaint.
On April 25, during one of their conversations, Mahima spoke about her hobbies and introduced him to cryptocurrency trading, claiming it offered high returns and that she was personally profiting from such investments. She later encouraged Nirmal to try his hand at crypto trading, initially framing it as a shared financial goal before marriage.
Though Nirmal was hesitant at first, she allegedly persistently persuaded him, saying it would help them secure a strong financial foundation for their future together. Eventually convinced, he began transferring money into what he believed were legitimate crypto investment accounts—only to discover later that it was a scam.
Police have launched an investigation into the case and are tracing the digital footprint of the alleged fraudsters.
