HYDERABAD

What began as a marriage proposal on a matrimonial website ended in a ₹1.46 crore cyber fraud, with the victim being persuaded to invest in a fake trading platform before the money was siphoned off through a network of mule bank accounts and allegedly routed to Singapore-based fraudsters via hawala channels.

Hyderabad Cyber Crime police arrested four persons from Telangana for their alleged role in laundering the cheated money. The accused were identified as Chokkala Sampath of Siddipet, Hechu Naresh, Endla Suresh and Vadkala Mahesh, all from Secunderabad.

Police said the victim lodged a complaint on February 13 after being cheated in a matrimony-cum-investment fraud. According to investigators, the fraudsters created a fake profile of a woman on the Sangam Matrimony platform, gained the victim’s trust by promising marriage and gradually convinced him to invest in an online investment scheme that claimed to offer high returns.

The victim was allegedly shown fabricated profits on the platform and he transferred ₹46.65 lakh through multiple transactions. When he attempted to withdraw the money, the fraudsters demanded additional payments under various pretexts before eventually blocking all communication, prompting him to approach the police.

During the investigation, officers found that the money trail extended across Telangana and Maharashtra through multiple mule bank accounts, including accounts maintained with Indian Overseas Bank. Police said at least ₹35 lakh of the cheated amount was routed through these accounts before being transferred further through hawala channels to cyber fraudsters based in Singapore.

Investigators alleged that Sampath worked under the instructions of an absconding handler and managed mule bank accounts used to move the fraud proceeds, receiving a 30% commission. Naresh allegedly helped open and operate mule accounts, facilitated withdrawals and received a 15% commission. Suresh and Mahesh allegedly performed similar roles in opening and operating bank accounts used for laundering the money, each receiving a 10% commission.

Police seized a mobile phone during the operation and said efforts are under way to trace the remaining members of the syndicate.