He met the “woman of his dreams” on a matrimonial website, but an Indian techie [name witheld upon request] ended up losing Rs1,682,222 (Dh81,030) after she allegedly cheated him. The 31-year-old software professional filed a complaint at the Whitefield Police station in the Indian city of Bengaluru, yesterday. Apparently, Kiara Sharma, borrowed the sum over the past seven months and later refused to tie the knot or return the money he had lent her.
The man told the police that in October 2019, he found Kiara Sharma on a matrimony website. They gradually bonded and later decided to get married. They would frequently speak over the phone. On some occasions, Kiara asked the man for monetary assistance, citing that she was facing financial problems. Since they had agreed on marrying each other, he didn’t mind helping her out with the money she occasionally needed.
According to a report in regional newspaper Bangalore Mirror, a police officer investigating the case said: “The two met each other a couple of times and the man believed that she would marry him. When her salary was delayed and for various other reasons, he lent her money. Additionally, since he had met her in person, he believed that it was not a fake profile.”
Ankur confronted Kiara when he realised that she had suddenly started to avoid him. She confessed that she wasn’t willing to marry him now. So, he asked her to pay him back the money she had borrowed. By now it had reached a total of Rs1,682,222. Apparently, Kiara did not respond properly and disagreed to return the money.
Reportedly, she stopped receiving his phone calls or replying to his messages after he demanded his money back.
The accused is still at large. Police officials added: “All the transactions were made online. We have gathered all the information and efforts are on to trace her.”
Reports say that after India went into lockdown on March 25, matchmaking websites in the country saw a surge in new registrations and renewals. Indian website Matrimony.com, that runs Bharat Matrimony, saw new customers enrolling with 30 per cent growth in April 2020, compared to the previous month.
And, according to news website timesofindia.com, Rohan Mathur, head of business for Jeevansaathi.com, another matrimonial website, said: “The platform witnessed a 60 per cent increase in the number of voice and video calls in the lockdown period with more user-engagement.”
From discounts on premium memberships to virtual weddings, matrimonial websites have adopted creative ways to stay relevant during the lockdown.
