Hyderabad: A major cybercrime case has left Hyderabad youth disillusioned about online matrimony after investigators busted a team running a Rs 25 lakh fraud on Friday. The scam originated from an Instagram profile with flashy photos and false promises. Hyderabad’s Cybercrimes squad arrested the main accused, Aneesa Mohmad Yaseen Hundekar, along with an accomplice, Mohammed Abdul Aamer. Another accomplice, Zohar Fathima, remains at large. The group is suspected of duping victims across India.

The scammers created an Instagram account, ‘khoobsurat.rishte,’ and loaded it with glamorous photos and videos to lure victims. They then added them to Islamic matrimony WhatsApp groups, where they uploaded heavily edited photos of beautiful women and dropped enticing contact numbers. The supposed brides would express interest in marriage, sparking hopes and collecting personal details from innocent singles.

The fraud came to light when an unlucky bachelor, who began his search for a soulmate in March 2023, stumbled upon the Instagram account and fell for the photos. What started as harmless messages soon turned intimate. The scam grew bolder with emotional demands for cash, citing fabricated health emergencies and urgent domestic expenses. Believing the story, the victim transferred a staggering Rs 25 lakh into bank accounts provided by his online ‘beloved.’ After months of empty promises, he discovered that the alluring bride’s photos were actually of Parwsha Shah, a Pakistani national known for her social media presence.

Following a raid, police seized mobile phones, laptops, tablets, bank passbooks, cheque books, and debit cards used in the digital deception. Hyderabad Cyber Crime Police have issued a stern warning to the public: always verify matrimonial proposals on social media, be wary of emotional demands for cash, and never share personal details or transfer money to unknown online contacts. The Hyderabad seizure serves as a stark reminder that such scams remain a significant threat in the online world.