In a case that highlights how emotional manipulation is often used to defraud victims, the Delhi Police said a day ago its team of Shaheen Bagh police station arrested a man for allegedly cheating a woman of nearly 80 grams of gold jewellery under the false pretext of love and marriage.
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According to police, the accused, befriended the victim and expressed his intention to marry her. It all started on social media. “The accuse developed contact through Instagram, gained trust over a period of 45 days and took approximately 80 grams of gold jewellery under the pretext of financial emergency. He then cut off all contact,” said police.
It appears that as in other cases of fraud across the country chances are high that over time, the alleged accused who know in police custody won her trust and created a facade of emotional attachment.
Victim approaches Shaheen Bagh police station
When the girl later realised that his assurances were false and that he had no intention of marrying her or returning the jewellery, she approached the Shaheen Bagh police station and filed a formal complaint.
The police took the complaint seriously. It said it used technical surveillance methods to trace the movements of the accused and apprehended him. Bangles, earrings, neck chain and others have been recovered, said police.
The South-East District Police confirmed the arrest via its official X (formerly Twitter) handle, posting: “PS Shaheen Bagh arrests accused for cheating woman on pretext of love & marriage. Accused duped woman of 80g gold jewellery on false promise of financial need. Traced through technical surveillance. Bangles, earrings, neck chain etc. recovered.”
Residents of the area commended the prompt action taken by the police but also urged people particularly girls to exercise caution in such matters. Cases involving false promises of marriage are unfortunately common. Residents appealed to citizens to remain vigilant and report such incidents to the police without delay.
Experts emphasise caution in online relationships
Experts emphasise caution in online relationships, especially those anchored in marriage intent.
India saw a rise of 24 per cent in cybercrimes registered in 2022 compared to 2021, whereas other categories of crime – including economic offences (11 per cent), crimes against senior citizens (9 per cent), against women (4 per cent) – too recorded an increase, as per the latest data released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).
According to the report ‘Crime in India’, 65,893 cases were registered under cybercrime, showing an increase of 24.4 per cent compared to 52,974 cases in 2021. “Crime rate (per lakh population) under this category has increased from 3.9 in 2021 to 4.8 in 2022. During 2022, 64.8 per cent of cybercrime cases registered were for the motive of fraud – 42,710 out of 65,893 cases – followed by extortion with 5.5 per cent – 3,648 cases – and sexual exploitation with 5.2 per cent – 3,434 cases,” it said.
Shaheen Bagh case illustrates disturbing pattern
These cases illustrate a disturbing pattern: Promises of marriage are used tactically to elicit trust and access to valuables; gold jewellery frequently becomes the target and given its high value and sentimental significance; most perpetrators vanish once they receive the valuables; police are generally registering cases under IPC Sections 406, 420, and related statutes, aided by digital surveillance and matrimonial platform records.
