Special Correspondent
Pune: A shocking case of fraud has come to light in Pune where a man allegedly posed as an officer of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and an international ethical hacker to deceive a woman with the promise of marriage, eventually extorting lakhs of rupees from her.
A 42-year-old woman, who works as a teacher and resides in Fatimanagar, Wanwadi, has filed a complaint at the Wanwadi Police Station. Based on her complaint, the police have registered a case against Shirish Jayantilal Gohel alias Chirag Mittal (age 27), a resident of Sasanenagar, Hadapsar. He has been booked under sections 319(2) and 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
According to police, the accused first came in contact with the woman on July 18 last year through Facebook. Following the online interaction, he visited her residence and introduced himself as a CBI officer and a licensed international ethical hacker. He gradually developed a friendship with her and proposed marriage.
Subsequently, he started demanding money under various pretenses. He claimed he needed funds for his heart surgery and his sister’s delivery expenses, among other fabricated reasons. Through online transfers, cash, and cheques, the woman gave him around ₹4 lakh. In addition, he pawned a gold chain and two rings belonging to the complainant at a private finance company in Shukrawar Peth and took a loan of ₹80,000, which he used for personal purposes.
When the woman asked him to return the money, he started avoiding her and making excuses. Realizing that she had been conned, she approached the police and lodged a complaint. Sub-Inspector Ashish Jadhav is currently investigating the case.
