Woman Loses ₹5.28 Lakh to ‘Doctor’ Met on Bumble in Alleged Customs Clearance Scam
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Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
A Gandhinagar woman has allegedly lost ₹5.28 lakh after a man she met on Bumble posed as a doctor based in the Netherlands and later trapped her in a fabricated Customs clearance scam.
Man Posed as Netherlands-Based Doctor
According to the complaint filed with the Cyber Cell of Gandhinagar Range, the complainant, identified as Nupur Gandhi, is a senior executive with a pharmaceutical company and a resident of Gandhinagar.
Gandhi had downloaded the dating application Bumble in April 2021, where she allegedly came into contact with a man who introduced himself as Dr Nikhil Kotecha.
The man shared his mobile number and claimed he was originally from India but had been living in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, for several years. The two allegedly developed a friendship and remained in regular contact through chats and WhatsApp calls.
The complainant told police that she eventually came to trust him.
‘Doctor’ Claims He Is Stranded in Turkey
The man later allegedly told Gandhi that he was in Turkey to purchase medical equipment for a hospital he planned to set up in India.
He claimed that his bank account had been blocked following an international transaction originating from India and that he urgently needed money for hotel expenses, taxis and flight bookings.
Trusting the man, Gandhi allegedly transferred ₹1.50 lakh on May 1, 2026, to a bank account in the name of Arif Ali with Slice Small Finance Bank.
Fake Customs Officer Makes Fresh Demands
The alleged fraud then took a new turn.
On May 4, Gandhi received a call from a mobile number from a person claiming to be a female officer from the Delhi Customs Department. The caller allegedly identified the service as “Airport Service” and claimed that Dr Kotecha had been detained by Customs.
The caller allegedly demanded ₹85,800 for his clearance. Gandhi subsequently transferred the amount to an account in the name of R.K. Enterprises with Axis Bank.
The caller then allegedly claimed that Kotecha was carrying jewellery, including a diamond ring, necklace and bracelet, worth around ₹10 lakh to ₹12 lakh.
She was allegedly told that additional GST charges had to be paid to clear the jewellery.
Gandhi then allegedly made two more payments ₹1.78 lakh to an account in the name of Burra Sujala Kumari with Canara Bank and ₹1.14 lakh to the R.K. Enterprises account with Axis Bank.
Woman Contacts Cybercrime Helpline 1930
The complainant received another call from the same number on May 5, with further demands for money allegedly being made on different pretexts.
She then realised that she had allegedly been targeted in a cyber fraud and contacted the national cybercrime helpline 1930.
According to the complaint, the total amount transferred by Gandhi to different bank accounts was ₹5.28 lakh.
Police Probe Alleged Pre-Planned Conspiracy
Gandhi subsequently approached the Cyber Cell of the Gandhinagar Crime Branch, following which a case was registered under relevant provisions of law.
Police have alleged that the accused had hatched a pre-planned conspiracy, created a Bumble profile using the identity of Dr Nikhil Kotecha and used a Netherlands-based mobile number to establish contact with Gandhi.
After allegedly gaining her confidence, the accused introduced another person as a Delhi Customs officer, who then made the subsequent demands for money.
Further investigation is underway.
