Instagram ad promises Ahmedabad man a date, dupes him of Rs 9.5 lakh

A 24-year-old Ahmedabad PG resident told police he lost Rs 9.50 lakh after responding to an Instagram advertisement promising a meeting with a young woman. The case is now with the Cyber Crime Branch, which is tracing the phone number and bank accounts linked to the alleged fraud.Ahmedabad man loses Rs 9.5 lakh in woman-meeting scam. (Representative image)A 24-year-old man living in a paying guest (PG) accommodation in Ahmedabad allegedly lost Rs 9.50 lakh after responding to a sponsored advertisement on Instagram that promised an emotional conversation and a meeting with a young woman.The man, Atharv Parolkar, originally from Madhya Pradesh, has approached the Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Branch, alleging that a man named Hukum Singh induced him to make multiple online payments on the pretext of registration, meeting, verification, cancellation, refund and other charges.HOW THE SCAM BEGANAccording to Atharv's complaint, he was scrolling through Instagram on the night of July 25 when he came across a sponsored advertisement inviting users to call a number to arrange an emotional conversation and meeting with a young woman living nearby in Ahmedabad.Atharv called the number and spoke to Hukum Singh, who allegedly assured him that a woman could be arranged for a conversation and meeting in any area of Ahmedabad he chose. Singh first asked Atharv to pay Rs 500 as a registration fee. Atharv transferred the amount online that night and also sent a screenshot of the transaction as proof.Singh then shared photographs of six women with Atharv. He selected a woman named Kajal and expressed his desire to meet her. Singh subsequently provided a mobile number for Kajal and told Atharv to contact her after reaching a hotel in Ahmedabad.Rs 14,000 PAID FOR MEETINGWhen Atharv reached the hotel and contacted Kajal, she allegedly demanded money towards the meeting and hotel charges.After consulting Singh, Atharv transferred Rs 14,000 online. The amount was allegedly sought for hotel rent, meeting fees, verification charges and medical fees.However, as the process continued and it became late, Atharv decided to cancel the service. Singh allegedly assured him that the money would be refunded the following day.Rs 9.50 LAKH TRANSFERRED AS ‘CHARGES’Instead of receiving a refund, Atharv was allegedly induced to make several further payments.According to the complaint, he transferred a total of Rs 9,50,092 into various bank accounts. The payments were allegedly demanded under different pretexts, including cancellation charges, service renewal, refund processing, banking procedures, GST and ITR-related charges.Singh had allegedly promised to return the deposited amount by August 3. When the refund did not arrive, Atharv realised that he had fallen victim to cyber fraud.He lodged a complaint with the Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Branch.The Ahmedabad Cyber Crime unit is now investigating the alleged fraud racket. The probe will focus on the mobile number shared by Singh and the bank accounts into which Atharv transferred the money.- EndsPublished On: Aug 23, 2026 21:15 IST