An 80-year-old man from Mumbai was conned out of nearly Rs 9 crore in a prolonged online romance scam that lasted almost two years. Posing as four different women, fraudsters manipulated the elderly man’s emotions through fake love stories, sympathy appeals, and financial emergencies.

The massive fraud came to light only after the victim requested Rs 5 lakh from his son earlier this year. Suspicious about the demand, the son questioned his father, who then shared the entire series of events. Realising that his father had been methodically exploited, the son alerted the authorities. The emotional and psychological impact on the elderly man was so severe that he required hospitalisation. Doctors later diagnosed him with dementia, which likely impaired his judgment during the ordeal.

Facebook Chat Turns Costly for Mumbai Senior

According to cyber police, the deception began in April 2023, when the victim sent a friend request to a woman named Sharvi on Facebook. Although the request was initially rejected, she later sent him one, which he accepted. Their interaction quickly shifted to WhatsApp, where Sharvi claimed she was separated from her husband and living in Tardeo with her children. She began asking for money, claiming her children were ill. Trusting her, the man started sending her funds.

As the conversations with Sharvi continued, a new person named Kavita contacted the man on WhatsApp. Introducing herself as someone who knew Sharvi, Kavita used intimate and sexually suggestive messages to build a bond. She soon began asking for money as well, following the same narrative of family-related emergencies.

By December 2023, the man was contacted by a third individual, Dinaz, who claimed to be Sharvi’s sister. She told him that Sharvi had died and had wanted him to settle her hospital bills. Dinaz backed her claim by sharing screenshots of old WhatsApp conversations between her and Sharvi. Shortly after, Dinaz expressed romantic interest in the victim, even stating that she wanted to marry him. She too extracted money from him under emotional pretenses. When he asked her to return the money, Dinaz allegedly threatened to end her life.

The manipulation didn’t end there. A fourth woman, Jasmine, claiming to be Dinaz’s friend, reached out next. She convinced the man that Dinaz intended to return the money but needed assistance to do so. Jasmine also ended up receiving funds from the man.

734 Transactions, Rs 8.7 Crore Gone in 21-Month Scam

Over the 21-month span—from April 2023 to January 2025—the man made 734 financial transactions, amounting to approximately Rs 8.7 crore. After depleting his entire savings, he even borrowed Rs 2 lakh from his daughter-in-law. The scam only came to a halt when he approached his son for more funds, revealing the truth in the process.

The case was first reported on July 22, 2025, through the national cybercrime helpline ‘1930’. A formal First Information Report (FIR) was then registered by cyber police on August 6. Authorities are now investigating whether the individuals posing as Sharvi, Kavita, Dinaz, and Jasmine were actually separate people or one scammer operating multiple digital identities.

“We will look into whether the suspects were distinct individuals or one person using several phone numbers,” police stated.

Investigators suspect the entire operation may have been a coordinated cybercrime scheme targeting emotionally vulnerable senior citizens. The case serves as a grim reminder of how online platforms can be exploited by scammers for emotional and financial abuse.