Mumbai: An 18-year-old girl from Mumbai was defrauded of Rs16.18 lakh by scammers she met on Instagram, who promised to reunite her with her lost love. The Crime Branch Unit 2 arrested two gang members from Rajasthan, Vikas Meghwal, 22, and Manoj Nagpal, 30, both residents of Ganganagar, for committing the scam.
The girl, manipulated by the scammers, stole 129 grams of gold ornaments and Rs16.18 lakh in cash from her home to pay for fake rituals.
The scam began when the girl, heartbroken after her family forced her to end a romantic relationship, found an Instagram page run by “Maulana Irfan Khanji.” It advertised services like “Get your lost love back in 24hours.” The scammers, posing as a maulavi, convinced her to buy items like a silver pot and gold lamp for rituals to remove obstacles in her love life. Unable to fund the payments, she staged a burglary at her home, stealing valuables and transferring the money online. The accused later visited Mumbai to buy the stolen jewellery.
The girl’s mother, Tahavin Iraqi, 52, reported a theft on August 1, claiming unknown thieves entered through a halfopen door. Suspicious of the circumstances, the Crime Branch interrogated the daughter, uncovering the scam. CCTV footage and technical analysis led police to Gangapur, Rajasthan, a known hub for cyber fraud. The police seized 129 grams of gold worth Rs13 lakh and Rs3.18 lakh in cash from the accused.
Investigations revealed the scammers targeted emotionally vulnerable young women, exploiting their heartbreak. Many young Instagram users had interacted with the fraudsters, suggesting more victims. The operation, guided by Senior Police Inspector Dilip Tejankar and Inspectors Rajendra Manjre and Prashant Gawde, exposed a new type of scam run by a Ganganagar-based gang.
