An online friendship that began on WhatsApp turned into a massive cyber fraud for a man from Lucknow, who ended up losing Rs 1.92 crore.
The shock deepened when police discovered that the “woman” he was chatting with was actually a man using a fake identity.
According to the police, the accused has been identified as Imran Ghazi (34), a resident of the Mishripur Depot area under the Gudamba police station limits. He was arrested, police said on Thursday.
Based on a complaint filed by Shalabh Pandey on June 2, 2025, Ghazi introduced himself, WhatsApp as “Bhavika Shetty” and began chatting with the victim daily. Over time, he gained Pandey’s trust and convinced him to invest money in schemes promising high returns.
Believing the claims, Pandey transferred a total of Rs 1.92 crore to multiple bank accounts. He later realized he had been cheated and approached the police.
A case has been registered at the cyber crime police station under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Section 66(D) of the Information Technology Act, which deals with cheating by personation using computer resources.
During interrogation, Ghazi revealed that after his Axis Bank account was frozen, he sought help from an associate named Shahzad. Together, they arranged fake Aadhaar and PAN cards to open multiple bank accounts, which were used to receive the defrauded money.
Investigators found that Rs 54 lakh from the fraud passed through Ghazi’s accounts, with transactions totaling nearly Rs 1.52 crore within a month. Fake identity documents were also recovered from his possession.
Police officials said efforts are ongoing to identify and arrest other members involved in the cyber fraud racket.