In a major crackdown on cyber-enabled fraud, Lucknow Police have arrested Haider Ali, a 40-year-old man from Odisha’s Balasore district, for allegedly running an online dating scam by impersonating an Army captain.
Ali posed as “Hartik Beglo,” a fictional officer in the Army Medical Corps, and used this identity across multiple Instagram accounts—including armybeglo, Indiancammandoharik, and soldiers3889—to build trust with women online. He would then lure them into fake relationships and exploit them emotionally and financially.
According to senior police officer Nipun Agarwal, Ali targeted women from different states including Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, West Bengal, Karnataka, and Telangana. Once the women were emotionally invested, he would ask them for money under various pretexts—like emergencies, car purchases, or financial struggles—and then disappear after receiving the funds.
Police said the entire scam funded a lavish lifestyle. Upon arrest, police recovered an Army uniform, beret, fake Aadhaar card, canteen card, and other fake military accessories used to maintain the ruse.
One woman from Lucknow grew suspicious and filed a complaint, which led to his arrest. During questioning, Ali confessed to duping at least four women, but police believe there may be more victims and are analyzing his call records and online communications.
“This is a classic case of an online romance scam using fake military credentials,” said Agarwal. “We urge the public to stay alert and verify identities when engaging online.”
Ali is now in custody, and further investigation is ongoing to uncover the full extent of the scam.
