Mumbai woman defrauded of Rs 18 lakhs by conman posing as Army officer

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A 29-year-old woman who helped an army soldier with medical expenses for kidney stones has reported being cheated of almost Rs 18.3 lakh. Following her allegation, the Versova Police have filed a case against two people: Vivek Patil, who posed as an Army soldier, and his friend Lakshman Dalvi.

The complainant, who hails from Ratnagiri and works as a caretaker in Versova, met Patil on Facebook in January of last year. She continued to communicate with him, believing his claims to be an army soldier.

Sources said Patil requested assistance on March 17, 2024, claiming to be suffering from kidney stones and in need of quick funds due to a lack of income. He sought Rs 2,000 and asked her to pay it to his friend Dalvi using Google Pay, which she did.

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From March 17 until August 30, 2024, the woman received texts from Patil, who stated that due to his posting in Jammu and Kashmir, he was unable to withdraw funds. During this time, he collected Rs 18,30,101 from her.

However, communication ended on September 8, prompting the woman to believe she had been duped. On October 2, she filed a complaint with the Versova Police, who are now looking into the veracity of Patil's statements about his military service, as well as the larger backdrop of the suspected scam.