- By Surarika Das
- Sun, 29 Mar 2026 12:28 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
What started as a genuine connection soon turned into a con trap after a Bengaluru software engineer lost a sum of Rs 18.7 lakh, falling in love with a fraudster in an online dating app. It all started after a 29-year-old man matched with a woman in a dating app called Flutrr.
The resident of Thippasandra narrated the entire incident in his complaint to the East Cyber Crime Police. He mentioned that the woman, named Anjali Kushlani, matched with him on November 4, 2025. She claimed to be from Mumbai.
After chatting on the dating app for a few days, they switched to WhatsApp. They talked every everyday and things were seemingly serious between the two. From her conversations and photos, the victim thought that the woman belonged to a rich family.
The man told Kushlani that he is poor and lives in a slum. The woman gained his trust and claimed that she "only wanted a good man" and that she would be supporting him in the future.
The daily talks then slowly shifted to online trading. Even as the man had a house loan in his name, the con woman convinced him to invest a small amount, assuring that she would be guiding him.
Following this, the victim joined a Telegram channel linked to a trading platform and deposited a sum of Rs 40,000 on November 28. In the initial days, he made small profits and was also able to make a withdrawal of 100 dollars (Rs 8000), making him vulnerable.
Kushlani then shared another trading link with him on WhatsApp. Slowly, the man started borrowing money from his friends and deposited Rs 5.6 lakh by December 25. Between these days, the victim urged the fraudster to meet him; however, Kushwani kept on dragging the meeting, giving excuses.
On January 14, the man lost his younger brother and was unable to withdraw any funds. The platform featured trading conditions and said that he did not have Rs 10,000 in profit or loss. Kushlani convinced him to invest more, expressing concern and gaining his trust.
In Feb, Kushlani claimed that her family has great expectations from the man and allegedly pushed him to invest more. He then took a loan of Rs 10 lakh, and the con woman appeared to match his contribution by adding Rs 5 lakh. After a few days, he added Rs 3.2 lakh, which totaled Rs 18.7 lakh for investments.
In mid March, the trading account reflected activities and profits. On March 21, the calls suddenly stopped and messages went undelivered. When Kushwani appeared online for a brief period, she claimed that her house had been raided by the Enforcement Directorate and demanded 1000 dollars more. By then, the victim realised that he had been duped.
A case has been registered under the Information Technology Act and BNS Section 318 (cheating).