The accused, Swapnil Naik (squatting and face covered).
PANAJI
Cyber Cell of Goa Police busted an online fraud arresting an accused who allegedly duped one victim to the tune of Rs 23.21 lakhs over Facebook under the pretext of marrying him.
Accused Swapnil Naik has been booked and arrested for defrauding the victim by creating a fake Facebook profile impersonating a woman interested in marrying him.
The accused was arrested in Davangere district of Karnataka by a team led by PI Vishwesh Karpe and PSI Devendra Pingle of Cyber Cell.
In his complaint, victim Vishnu Gaude from Ponda stated that from June 27 till September 16 this year, one unknown user of Facebook on the pretext of marrying him fraudulently deceived him into transferring a total amount of Rs 23,21,068.
During the course of investigation, the accused tried to move across different towns including Sangli, Bangalore and Davangere.
The police analysed all bank accounts, phones and online profiles linked to the accused and following discreet technical surveillance, accused Naik was located in Davangere, Karnataka.
Cyber Police nabbed him with the help of the Karnataka Police.
Naik was a habitual offender and was previously arrested twice by Curchorem Police in a case of fraud and cheating. A school dropout, Naik has allegedly been cheating people to make quick buck since he was a minor.
During the interrogation, accused Naik disclosed that he used to pose as female on social media platforms and trap innocent persons for financial gains. He would relate a sorry tale and seek sympathy from his victims before convincing them to transfer money into his bank accounts.
At times, he also resorted to blackmail as several victims ended up sharing their personal details with him.
The investigation is in progress to identify the other victims who fell prey to Naik's tactics as well as to trace his co-accused, if any.
PANAJI: Cyber Cell of Goa Police has issued an advisory cautioning every person against online fraudsters and requesting Goans to be careful while interacting with unknown persons online. “Refrain from sharing any sensitive data online. Always verify the authenticity of the persons you are contacting with through your common friends and don’t add unknown persons to your social network,” reads the advisory.
