The Hyderabad Cybercrime Police arrested K. Lokesh, a 25-year-old man from L.B Nagar, Hyderabad, for allegedly impersonating a woman on dating apps and defrauding a city-based mechanical engineer of Rs28 lakh. The fraudster created a fake social media profile as a woman, lured the victim into an online relationship, and then conned him out of a significant sum.
According to the police, K. Lokesh used social media platforms and dating apps to create a fake identity as a woman. After gaining the victim’s trust, Lokesh began engaging in personal conversations with the engineer, convincing him that they were developing a romantic relationship. Over time, the accused fabricated various excuses and emergency situations to demand money, eventually tricking the engineer into transferring Rs28 lakh.
The victim, who initially believed he was helping his online acquaintance, grew suspicious when the requests for money continued without any tangible explanation or physical meeting. Upon realizing he had been deceived, the victim reported the incident to the Hyderabad Cybercrime Police.
The Cybercrime Police traced the fraudulent activity to K. Lokesh and arrested him on Friday. Authorities revealed that Lokesh had been operating the scam by using deceptive online profiles and exploiting emotional manipulation to extort money from unsuspecting individuals.
The police are continuing their investigation into Lokesh’s activities and are exploring whether he was involved in similar scams targeting other victims. Cybercrime police have warned the public about the dangers of online impersonation and urged users to be cautious when interacting with strangers on dating platforms or social media.