Pune: Online fraudsters befriended a retired teacher (62) posing as a gynaecologist from London and customs official and duped her of Rs28 lakh over a period of over one-and-a-half years.The victim’s husband lodged a complaint with the Ravet police. A case has been registered with the police on Wednesday.An officer from the Ravet police said the woman came into contact with a man via a social media platform. They exchanged cellphone numbers and started chatting. The suspect claimed to be a gynaecologist and told her that he was a widower with a nine-year-old daughter.“In April 2024, the man contacted the victim and told her that he came to India with his daughter. He told her that the customs officials caught him at the New Delhi airport because he has huge amount of cash,” the officer said.The suspect, the officer added, told the victim that the officials kept his daughter in a hotel and demanded Rs5 lakh to release him. The crook requested the woman to lend him Rs5 lakh as he did not know anyone else in India. He also told her that he would come home and take help from her husband.“After some time, a man, posing as a customs official, spoke with the woman. He requested the woman to pay the money and her friend would return it immediately,” the officer said.He said, the woman transferred Rs 60,000 to a bank account number provided to her. After that, the crook started taking money from her citing different reasons such as his daughter was not well, she was admitted to hospital and that he was in big trouble.“From April 2024 to Nov 2025, the woman transferred Rs 27.72 lakh to different bank account numbers,” the officer said.The retired teacher did not inform her husband about these transactions. In Feb, her daughter noticed her arguing with someone over the cellphone. The retired teacher’s daughter then took her into confidence. Only then she narrated her ordeal to her daughter and husband.
