Love, lies, blackmail: Conman dupes 500 women of Rs 2 crore via dating apps

A team of PS Cyber, South-West District has arrested a notorious cyber fraudster and serial extortionist, Anand Kumar (35), a resident of North 24 Parganas, West Bengal, for running large-scale honey-trapping, romance scams and online blackmail operations targeting women across India.

Police said the accused created fake profiles on dating and matrimonial platforms, as well as social media apps, posing as a doctor, businessman, lawyer, film producer and other professionals. He used these identities to build trust with victims, develop emotional relationships and later extort money under various pretexts, including marriage proposals, medical emergencies, business losses and professional opportunities.

Investigators revealed that Anand Kumar targeted more than 500 women and cheated or extorted approximately Rs 2 crore. In several cases, he also collected private photos and videos shared during online interactions and used them to threaten victims with exposure on social media platforms.

The case came to light after a victim filed an e-FIR reporting a fraud of around Rs 7 lakh by a fake Instagram profile named ‘Vaibhav Arora’. The accused initially contacted her on a dating app, gained her trust and later shifted communication to Instagram and WhatsApp using multiple mobile numbers. He promised to marry her and even introduced another fake identity, ‘Anand’, as a friend who would arrange a family meeting.

He then fabricated stories about medical emergencies and business losses to seek financial help. When the victim demanded her money back, he stopped responding and later falsely informed her via WhatsApp that ‘Vaibhav’ had died to cut off contact.

Following the complaint, police conducted extensive technical analysis of digital footprints, including IP logs, social media accounts, mobile numbers and financial transaction trails. Surveillance revealed that two numbers linked to the accused were active in the 24 Parganas region of West Bengal. Police teams carried out raids at multiple locations and eventually apprehended him after sustained tracking and coordinated operations.

Examination of his devices showed that he operated multiple fake identities simultaneously, including names such as Vaibhav Arora, Dr Rohit Behl, Tarun, Anand Sharma and Shikha. He used several mobile phones, SIM cards issued under different identities and frequently switched devices to evade detection.

Police recovered four smartphones, eight SIM cards, three debit cards, four gold bracelets and five gold chains purchased using the cheated money. Authorities also found that a significant portion of the funds was spent on online gaming and personal expenses.

Officials confirmed that the accused is a habitual offender with two previous involvements in similar cybercrime cases in Delhi and Ghaziabad.

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