Seven from Gujarat held in Nagpur for cheating woman of Rs 20 lakh with marriage promise

Nagpur: A woman has been cheated of Rs 20 lakh after being promised marriage through an online friendship. Unit 3 of the Crime Branch has busted the "Gujarat Gang", which operates across several states, and arrested seven accused.

They are Jayesh Amrit Thakur (20), Yashpal Aamsingh Chauhan (24), Kuldeep Singh Vikram Jadeja (26), Rajendra Singh Rana Vaghela (34), Narpat Babu Singh (27), Upendra Nagjibhai Joshi (28) and Bhanusingh Jaswantsingh Vaghela (29). All are residents of Gujarat. They are also suspected of links to a hawala racket.

The 50-year-old complainant came to know a man calling himself Mohammed Vishal Chopra on WhatsApp. Chopra said he lived in the UK and claimed to have a large gold and garment business. He said he wanted to come and settle in India and also intended to marry here. He promised to marry the woman and, on a video call, showed her what he said was his home. Saying he had reached Delhi, he told her he had 70 tola of gold and 70,000 dollars with him.

The woman then received a call from a purported customs officer, who said Chopra had been caught. In return for his release, Rs 20 lakh was extorted from her. A further Rs 25 lakh was then demanded. Suspecting fraud, the woman filed a complaint at Ganeshpeth police station. Police registered a case, and the Crime Branch began an investigation and arrested the accused.

The accused have been running the fraud racket for a long time. They target divorced or widowed women. Victims often do not file complaints for fear of disgrace. Questioning of the accused may lead to several revelations.