Jamnagar trader’s search for bride ends in 56L cyberfraud

Rajkot: A search for companionship on a matrimonial website turned into a costly cyber trap for a 52-year-old wholesale medical agency owner in Jamnagar, who was allegedly cheated of Rs 56.73 lakh by a gang that lured him with the promise of a lucrative international pharmaceutical supply deal.According to an FIR registered at the Jamnagar cybercrime police station on Friday, the victim, a resident of Ranjitsagar Road, had created a profile on a matrimonial portal after the death of his wife a year ago. Living alone while his son works in Bengaluru and his daughter studies in a hostel, he had hoped to remarry.On Aug 12, 2025, he received a WhatsApp message from a Canadian number from a woman introducing herself as "Lakshmi". She claimed to work for a Montreal-based pharmaceutical research firm and told him that her company urgently needed a raw material used in medicines called "Tamole Ocimum (ZH2)". Promising high commissions, she persuaded him to act as an Indian supplier and procure the chemical.Lakshmi directed him to source the material from a Rajasthan-based firm named Sharma Enterprises and asked him to coordinate with a woman identified as Rutuja Sharma. After negotiating a price of Rs 61,000 per litre, the victim was asked to purchase a trial sample.To gain his confidence, the fraudsters staged what appeared to be a genuine business transaction. After the victim transferred Rs 61,000 via UPI for the sample, a man identifying himself as "purchase officer" Ojo Michael travelled to Ahmedabad and collected it from him at a hotel. He paid the victim $1,300 in US currency, which the trader later exchanged for Indian currency, strengthening his belief that the deal was legitimate and profitable.Encouraged by the apparent success, the victim agreed to supply larger quantities. Between Oct 30 and Nov 21, 2025, he transferred Rs 56.73 lakh in multiple advance instalments to several bank accounts provided by the accused.Soon after receiving the money, the accused stopped responding to his calls and messages and deactivated their phone numbers, leaving him to realise that he had been duped.Police said the victim remained silent for months, fearing social stigma and possible damage to his medical agency's reputation. However, with encouragement from his brother and a friend, he eventually approached the cybercrime police and lodged a formal complaint.