Jewellery worth ₹15 lakh at wedding; within a month, domestic violence complaint filed with a demand of ₹50 lakh45-year-old married woman from Bengaluru dupes IT engineer

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: An IT engineer fell victim to fraud after meeting a Bengaluru-based woman through a well-known matrimonial app. The woman introduced herself as unmarried and trapped him in a web of love. They got married in Bengaluru, where jewellery worth ₹15 lakh and expensive clothes were exchanged. However, within a month, she lodged a domestic violence complaint against him in Bengaluru and demanded ₹50 lakh to withdraw it. The engineer approached the police, following which a case was registered against Ranjita Pitambar Chabaria (45, resident of Bengaluru) and her uncle Sanjay Makhija (55, resident of Secunderabad) at the Jawaharnagar Police Station.

The complainant, a 49-year-old IT engineer from Garkheda, also runs a business. In 2023, he came into contact with Ranjita through the app, later meeting her in Bengaluru. Ranjita claimed she was an orphan and unmarried. In June 2023, they married at a temple in Bengaluru in the presence of a few relatives. After the wedding, the engineer stayed at Ranjita’s house for 15 days. When he later asked her to move with him to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, she refused citing work commitments, so he returned alone. Within a month, he received a notice from Bengaluru police stating that his wife had accused him of abandoning her and not taking her to his family home. The engineer then rushed to Bengaluru, explained his side to the police, and managed to resolve the matter.

Blackmail attempt for money in Sambhajinagar

Ranjita later told the engineer that their marriage could not continue and drove him out. On April 15, 2025, she arrived with Sanjay Makhija at the engineer’s home in Garkheda. They created a ruckus, abused him, and demanded ₹50 lakh to annul the marriage, threatening to drag him to court and file a false case if the money was not paid.

Ranjita already married, new profile created

When the engineer investigated in Bengaluru, he discovered that Ranjita had actually been married since 2013–14. Despite this, she had created a new profile on the matrimonial app presenting herself as unmarried, all while continuing to demand money from him.

Support during her crisis, financial help given

Even though they rarely met after marriage, the engineer rushed to Bengaluru in April 2024 when Ranjita’s sister passed away, offering emotional support and financial assistance. For their wedding, he had purchased clothes for both families and jewellery worth ₹15 lakh for Ranjita. Based on the complaint, Inspector Sachin Kumbhar of Jawaharnagar Police Station registered a case against Ranjita and her alleged uncle Makhija. The investigation is being carried out by Assistant Police Inspector Atish Lohakare.