NEW DELHI: A 30-year-old software engineer from Pandav Nagar was duped of Rs 11 lakh by a group of scammers who tricked her into paying a fake customs duty.
According to the police, the woman met a man on a matrimonial website who identified himself as Sachin Singh, a civil engineer based in the Netherlands. He claimed to be sending her jewellery and €80,000 but said customs duty would need to be paid.
Later, the woman received a call from someone posing as a customs official, demanding Rs 11 lakh in customs charges. Believing the claim, she transferred the money, only to realise later that she had been deceived.
The complainant, a B.Tech graduate currently working as a software engineer in Gurugram, recounted her ordeal, stating, “I am unmarried. In December 2024, I created a profile on a matrimonial website in search of a suitable partner. On the website, I was contacted by a person named Sachin Singh, who provided me with his WhatsApp numbers. In his profile, he mentioned that he is a Civil Engineer working in the Netherlands. I trusted him, and we started communicating.”
Sachin allegedly told her that due to luggage restrictions on his trip to Vietnam, he was sending his valuable belongings, including gold, diamond jewellery, and cash, to India via courier.
“Later, I received a WhatsApp message from a number claiming to be from a logistics service, informing me that the parcel had arrived in Mumbai and would require customs payment,” she said.
She was then instructed to transfer money to multiple accounts. After making payments totalling Rs 11.4 lakh, she was told additional customs duty was required for more valuables in the parcel. Assured by Sachin, she continued making transfers.
However, once the payments were made, both Sachin and the alleged customs official blocked her. “In total, I transferred Rs 11,40,999 in customs duties. After this, both Sachin and the logistic service official’s number blocked me, and I did not receive any of the goods they promised. I believe that I have been defrauded, and I request that a case be filed and the money be recovered from these individuals,” she said.
The woman has filed a complaint, and police have launched an investigation into the scam.
