Nagpur woman loses Rs 6.5 lakh to Facebook friend's marriage promise and digital arrest threat

Nagpur: A cyber fraudster who befriended a woman on Facebook, promised to marry her and then threatened her with "digital arrest" has extorted Rs 6.5 lakh from her. Pratap Nagar police have registered a case of cheating under the IT Act against the alleged accused, Ravi Sharma, and begun an investigation.

The woman had befriended a man named Ravi Sharma on Facebook. The accused won her trust by promising to marry her. He then began calling her from different mobile numbers. After some time, he claimed he was caught up in a case and made her fear that she too would be implicated in it. He threatened her with digital arrest and began extracting money from her on various pretexts. Caught between fear and trust, the woman gave the accused Rs 6.5 lakh.

The woman's husband is ill, and she handed over all her savings to the accused. Even then, his demands for money did not stop. His constant demands made her suspicious. When she asked for her money back, the accused cut off contact with her. She then realised she had been cheated and filed a complaint at Pratap Nagar police station. Police have registered a case and begun searching for the accused and investigating the matter.