Pune Woman Duped of Rs 3.6 Crore by Man Posing as Australian Doctor on Matrimonial Site

Pune, Maharashtra (June 26, 2025): A man accused of cheating a Pune woman of Rs 3.6 crore after posing as an Australian-based doctor on a matrimonial website was arrested by cyber police at Mumbai airport on June 25. The accused, identified as Abhishek Shukla, is a 42-year-old native of Lucknow and holds Australian citizenship. He allegedly created a fake profile under the name Dr. Rohit Oberai on Shaadi.com and targeted over 3,000 women, according to Pune police.

The case came to light when a 40-year-old woman from Kharadi in Pune, originally from Delhi, reported that she was duped of Rs 3.6 crore from her Rs 5 crore alimony amount. Police said the two connected on the matrimonial platform in 2023, after which Shukla won her trust by proposing marriage and a joint business venture. According to the reports, the accused claimed he could help secure international funding for her startup in mindfulness and spirituality. Over time, the woman was persuaded to transfer large sums to multiple accounts, including Citibank Singapore, under the pretext of business development.

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According to the reports, the fraud occurred between September 2024 and June 2025. After traveling abroad, Shukla allegedly avoided all contact and later used a friend to falsely inform the victim via email that he had died of cancer.

Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime) Pankaj Deshmukh reportedly said initial investigations reveal Shukla contacted over 3,000 women using the fake profile. Police are trying to identify and reach out to other possible victims.

According to the reports, the victim filed a complaint via the 1930 cybercrime helpline. Based on the alert, authorities detained Shukla at Mumbai airport as he arrived from Singapore. Police reportedly said Shukla specifically targeted divorced women and created multiple identities to appear convincing. He is currently in custody as the investigation continues.