Claiming to be a British national of Indian origin living in England, the man quickly struck an emotional chord, expressing his intent to marry her 

THANE: A 29-year-old Mumbra woman, a bank employee posted in Dadar, was lured into a carefully scripted cyber trap and cheated of ₹6.75 lakh by frauds posing as a UK-based NRI groom and a Delhi airport immigration officer.The deception began on January 14, 2026, when the woman, browsing a popular matrimonial website, received a request from a profile identifying itself as ‘Adnan Ahmed’. Claiming to be a British national of Indian origin living in England, the man quickly struck an emotional chord, expressing his intent to marry her and promising a visit to India within three months. Conversations soon shifted to WhatsApp, where the bond appeared to deepen.But within days, the fairy tale took a dramatic turn.

On January 27, ‘Adnan’ sent frantic messages claiming he had landed in India but was detained at Delhi Airport by customs officials for carrying undeclared gold and foreign currency allegedly worth ₹1.35 crore. As panic set in, the plot thickened.

Soon after, a woman posing as an immigration officer called the victim, backing the story with chilling conviction. She claimed that the man and his “high-value” luggage had been seized and demanded a hefty “penalty” of ₹9.68 lakh to secure his release.

Convinced that her prospective husband was in serious legal trouble, and swayed by promises of his supposed wealth, the woman began transferring money. Between February 2 and March 12, she sent ₹6.75 lakh in multiple online transactions from two of her bank accounts to those provided by the frauds.

Then, as abruptly as it had begun, the communication stopped.

The man blocked her number. The “officer” vanished. And the carefully crafted illusion collapsed.

Realising she had been duped in a well-orchestrated con, the woman immediately contacted the national cybercrime helpline (1930) and later filed a complaint with the Mumbra police.

“Based on her statement, we have registered a case against the man posing as ‘Adnan Ahmed’, his female accomplice who impersonated an immigration officer, and the bank account holders who received the money,” a police officer said.

The accused have been booked under sections 66(C) and 66(D) of the Information Technology Act, 2000, along with sections 316 (criminal breach of trust) and 318(4) (cheating) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.Investigators said they are now tracing the digital footprints of the suspects and warned that such ‘NRI groom’ scams, blending romance with urgency and authority, are on the rise, preying on trust, emotion and the promise of a better future.