Ahmedabad — In a horrifying case of online deceit, a 32-year-old woman from Maninagar, Ahmedabad was lured into a sham relationship, raped, and financially exploited by a man she met on a matrimonial website. The accused, identified as Akash Patel, had been allegedly defrauding the victim for over a year.
The victim initially connected with Patel on a matrimonial site, where he won her trust and manipulated her into performing wedding rituals like applying vermilion and wearing a mangalsutra, traditional symbols of marriage in Hindu culture. Patel then used this emotional leverage to forcibly engage in sexual relations with her.
As the relationship progressed under the guise of impending matrimony, Patel defrauded the woman of ₹5.50 lakh. He gained her trust and convinced her to buy him an iPhone, which he later sold for cash. Moreover, the victim was so committed to the relationship that she even took out a personal loan to fulfill Patel’s monetary demands.
However, further investigation revealed a web of lies spun by Patel. It turned out he had provided the victim with a fake identity and incorrect home address. The police have since discovered that Patel is actually a resident of Surendranagar and had been disowned by his family 10 years ago. Moreover, he was already in a live-in relationship with another woman in Ranip at the time of the fraud.
According to the police, Patel had falsely claimed to be a franchise owner of an event management and food shop to present himself as a viable life partner. However, these claims were found to be baseless upon investigation.
Authorities also discovered that this was not Patel's first scam. Preliminary inquiries indicate that he had entangled multiple women in similar fraudulent schemes. Police have taken Patel into custody for further investigation and possible prosecution for his heinous acts.
The victim has lodged a formal complaint, and the arrest has raised serious concerns about the safety and reliability of online matrimonial platforms. Police are urging the public to exercise extreme caution when seeking relationships through such digital channels.
