New Delhi: One built a fake profile, the other brought it to life. But to a 67-year-old widower living alone in south Delhi, Anushka seemed like a real woman on a dating app who seemed interested in meeting him.Behind Anushka’s profile were two young women — Jyotsna (26), who worked in a private company in Gurgaon, and her 21-year-old neighbour and friend, Manshi. After gaining the senior citizen’s trust over two meetings, the duo stole his phone during a dinner in Defence Colony and stole Rs 1.3 lakh from his accounts.The women were arrested by the southwest cyber police for creating a fake dating profile and stealing money from the import-export businessman’s bank accounts through UPI.Police said the women spent the money partying.The investigators said the women’s plan revolved around a fictional identity, which they called Anushka on the app. According to police, they struck up conversations with the senior citizen before moving the chats to Telegram.During questioning, police learnt that Manshi allegedly considered Jyotsna to be the more conventionally attractive of the two, so her photos were used in the profile.The women decided that Jyotsna would meet the man, while Manshi would maintain communication with him, investigators said. Manshi also met the man, as the fictitious Anushka’s friend.DCP (south west) Amit Goel said: “The complainant first met the women on July 20. Four days later, on July 24, they met again for dinner in a restaurant in Defence Colony. It was after the second meeting that the victim’s mobile phone was stolen.”Using the phone, the women allegedly transferred the money from his accounts. Police said the money first landed in the account of one of the women, before being routed to the other’s account. Of the total amount, the women withdrew Rs 90,000 from an ATM.The fraud began unravelling after the man lodged an e-FIR at the cyber police station. Inspector Pravesh Kaushik and his team pieced together the trail by examining bank transactions, beneficiary accounts, KYC records, CCTV footage and technical surveillance.The CCTV footage captured the two women withdrawing the money from an ATM, providing investigators with the breakthrough. Police said the banking trail and surveillance led them to the duo.“The stolen mobile phone was deliberately destroyed to erase evidence after the transactions were completed,” a senior police officer said. Two phones have been seized from them. Police are trying to ascertain whether the duo targeted others too.
