NRI PULSE STAFF REPORT
Atlanta, GA, October 7, 2025: A 59-year-old schoolteacher from East Bengaluru was allegedly defrauded of ₹2.27 crore (approximately $272,500) by a man she met on a matrimonial website who claimed to be a U.S. citizen from Atlanta, Georgia.
According to a report by The Indian Express, the woman, a central government schoolteacher who lost her husband several years ago, met the accused on the matrimonial portal Jeevansathi.com in December 2019. The man introduced himself as “Aahan Kumar,” a drilling engineer working for Lukoil on an oil rig in the Black Sea. His online profile stated that he was a postgraduate from “Georgia University” and was living in Atlanta.
Over the next five years, the accused reportedly built a relationship with the victim through WhatsApp conversations and video calls. Posing as a caring and mature professional, he eventually convinced her to transfer large sums of money under the pretext of personal emergencies and work-related crises.
The first transfer occurred in January 2020, when the man requested a small amount “for food,” sent through a contact identified as Madhavi. Over time, the amounts increased, with the suspect fabricating stories of financial trouble abroad. By the time the woman realized she had been deceived, she had transferred a total of ₹2.27 crore.
The victim filed a complaint on October 3 with the East Division Cybercrime, Economic Offences and Narcotics (CEN) police station. Investigators have registered a case against the unidentified suspect for cheating and impersonation.
Police sources said the fraudster’s detailed backstory — including references to Atlanta and a U.S. degree — was likely designed to appear credible and appeal to the victim’s trust. Authorities are now tracing the digital trail of the suspect, including international money transfers and the phone numbers used for communication.
Romance and matrimonial scams have been on the rise in the US and India, with cybercrime officials warning users to verify identities thoroughly before engaging in financial transactions online.
