Mumbai Crime Branch Bust Gang Duping Lovelorn Youths via Instagram; Two Held in Rajasthan

Mumbai Crime Branch have exposed a major racket that lured heartbroken youngsters on Instagram with promises of “Getting Lost Love Back”( Khoya Huya Pyar Wapas Paye) and cheated them of large sums of money. In a swift operation, police arrested two accused from Sriganganagar, Rajasthan, who confessed to stealing gold and cash worth over ₹16 lakh from a woman’s home.

The case came to light on 1 August 2025, when 52-year-old woman lodged a complaint at Pydhonie police station, stating that an unknown thief had stolen 129 grams of gold and cash, amounting to a total loss of ₹16,18,000. A case was registered under Section 305(A) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.

Mumbai Crime Branch Unit-2 began a parallel investigation. During questioning, the complainant’s daughter revealed that she had been in a relationship with a man, but due to family opposition, their communication had stopped. Around that time, she came across an Instagram page named “Irfan Khanji”, which carried posts claiming “Get your lost love back in 24 hours” and “Ways to reunite with incomplete love”. She shared her contact details on the page.

Soon after, the accused contacted her, posing as a ‘Maulvi’. They told her that to win back her lost love, she needed to purchase special items such as a silver pot, a gold fly, a gold lamp, a rare herbal plant called Haththodi, and gold nails. The accused directed her to transfer money into various bank accounts for these items. For some items, she took gold from her own house and handed it over to them.

Based on technical analysis, the Crime Branch team laid a trap in Sriganganagar and arrested the accused Vikas Manojkumar Meghwal (22) and Manoj Shyamsunder Nagpal (30). During interrogation, they confessed to the crime. Police recovered the stolen 129 grams of gold (estimated worth ₹13 lakh) and ₹3.18 lakh in cash, totalling ₹16.18 lakh.

The accused also admitted to duping women in Haryana and Delhi using the same modus operandi. Investigations further revealed that several such gangs operate in Sriganganagar, selling fake Instagram accounts with inflated followers, as well as bank accounts and SIM cards, to carry out such scams.

Mumbai Police have urged youngsters not to fall prey to such fraudulent posts on social media and to contact the police immediately in case of any suspicious activity.