Hyderabad Man Loses 6.50 Lakh in Online Dating Scam

Hyderabad: A 32-year-old man and a resident of Malakpet became victim of an online dating and friendship scam after clicking on a link and lost `6.50 lakh.

As he was searching for a suitable woman to marry or enter into a live-in relationship, he received a WhatsApp call on July 9/, 2025 from a woman named Tanya Sharma, who offered to include him in a friendship group after payment of registration fee of `1,950.

Later, he was contacted by Priti and Ritika, who convinced him to make several payments under various refundable categories such as hotel booking, meeting confirmation, service tax, refund process, account verification and privacy security.

Believing their claims, the victim transferred a sum of `6.49 lakh to multiple bank accounts provided by the fraudsters. Later, the victim realised it was a well-organised dating and friendship scam, operated by a group impersonating as representatives of reputed companies and reported the fraud to Hyderabad cybercrimes police.

Police appealed to people to remain cautious of unsolicited calls or messages on WhatsApp, social media or dating platforms offering friendship or marriage opportunities. Never pay registration fees, advance amounts or refundable charges for meeting arrangements, memberships or verification processes.

Victims of cybercrime fraud can immediately dial 1930 or visit cybercrime.gov.in. In case of any emergency or cyberfrauds please call or send message on WhatsApp number 8712665171, police added. 

Man held with gold worth `2.37 cr at RGIA

Hyderabad: Hyderabad zonal unit of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) seized gold worth `2.37 crore from a passenger at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) in Shamshabad on Thursday.Acting on specific intelligence inputs, the officers of the DRI intercepted a passenger who had travelled from Kuwait to Hyderabad via Sharjah, by Air Arabia flight number G9 467.A thorough examination of the passenger’s checked-in baggage resulted in recovery of five 24 carat gold bars and two 24 carat gold bar cut into pieces, weighing 1,798 gram and valued at ` 2.37 crore. The five gold bars were concealed in a door metallic lock and two gold bar cut into pieces were concealed in a plastic pouch containing sunflower seeds, according to a statement issued by the DRI.The recovered smuggled gold of foreign origin along with the packing material was seized and the airline passenger was arrested under the provisions of the Customs Act-1962. Further investigation was in progress.

Bizman duped of `67 L in online fraud

Hyderabad: A 44-year-old businessman from Medipally was cheated of `67.24 lakh by cyber fraudsters who posed as representatives of online trading platforms promising high returns.According to the police, the victim, who runs a business in Uppal, came across three websites, pc.marketaxese.cc, finalto-indus.com and pc.pprimiltad.cc while browsing the internet. The websites claimed to help users make profitable trading decisions and guide them through the process. He showed his interest and he registered on one of them using his email ID and password. Shortly after, he was contacted by individuals claiming to be customer support representatives through WhatsApp. They assured him of guided investment plans and convinced him to share his personal and financial details, including PAN and bank account information. The naive victim put all his faith and trusted the conmen blindly.“Initially, the businessman invested a small amount and even received minor profits amounting to `6,000, which increased his trust. Encouraged by the early returns, he went on to invest larger sums across the three websites. However, when he attempted to withdraw the accumulated amount, the operators demanded additional payments, citing processing and clearance fees,” the police said.After multiple failed attempts to withdraw his own money and realising that the platforms turned out inactive, the victim then understood that he was duped. In total, he had invested `67,31,200 and received only `6,795 suffering loss of `67,24,405.Based on his complaint, Rachakonda Cybercrime police registered a case and launched an investigation.Officials urged the public to verify the authenticity of trading platforms on SEBI’s official website before investing and to remain cautious of unsolicited investment offers shared over WhatsApp or Telegram or any social media platforms.

Son held for attacking elderly parents

HYDERABAD: An elderly couple sustained grievous injuries after being attacked by their son following a family dispute at their residence at Gandipet in Narsingi on Wednesday night.According to investigating officer Gopi Sriram, the accused, Raghupal Reddy, lived with his parents – Ravinder Reddy and Bharati – in an apartment in Gandipet. For the past few months, Raghupal, who has been suffering from mental health issues, had frequent quarrels with his parents.On Wednesday night, neighbours heard loud screams from the house and alerted the police. Responding immediately, police found the couple bleeding and shifted them to a private hospital for treatment.“While the parents were asleep, he allegedly tried to peel their skin from behind with a vegetable peeler. The victims are currently not in the condition to talk. The accused has also not revealed the motive yet,” Gopi said.The accused was taken into custody. A case of attempt to murder has been registered and further investigation into the incident is underway. The police are in the process of sending him for judicial remand.