Navi Mumbai Cyber Fraud: 52-Year-Old Vashi Trader Duped Of ₹42.23 Lakh By Woman Met On Dating App Over Fake Online Trading Scheme; Case Registered

Navi Mumbai: A 52-year-old vegetable trader from Vashi has been allegedly cheated of Rs 42.23 lakh by an unknown woman he befriended on a dating app. The woman through false promises of high returns through online trading, convinced the trader to invest large sums over a period of time. Vashi Police have registered a case under sections of cheating and the IT Act and have begun a probe into the matter.

The trader, who operates a vegetable business at APMC market, came in contact with a woman named Aditi Rajput on the dating app Jaumo in May 2025. After shifting the conversation to WhatsApp, the woman gradually established emotional closeness, especially after learning the trader was a divorced father of one daughter.

Gaining his trust, she advised him to plan for his daughter’s future and encouraged him to invest in trading to earn quick profits. She sent him a link to a suspicious website named Optinex Market Net and insisted he begin trading through it.

The trader initially invested Rs 40,000 and received a Rs 5,000 return, which built confidence. Subsequently, he invested a total of Rs 5 lakh in phases. The platform later falsely showed that his profits had grown to Rs 1.25 crore. To withdraw the money, he was asked to pay 30% tax and Rs 7 lakh in penalties.

Between June 4 and June 26, the trader ended up transferring Rs 42,23,500. Later, when asked to deposit an additional Rs 35 lakh as a "security deposit," he suspected fraud and approached Vashi Police.

"We have registered a case against the unknown accused under relevant sections and are investigating the source of the website and the identity of the woman," a police officer from Vashi police station said.

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