Woman Loses Rs 8.4 Lakh in Online Love and Kidnapping Scam

Kathmandu: Rama Sharma (name changed), a 43-year-old woman from Kathmandu, received a message from an unknown WhatsApp number around two months ago. The profile photo was of a young man who appeared to be about 25. At first, she ignored it but the messages kept coming, and eventually, she replied.

Their interaction began with a casual introduction. The young man introduced himself as a British citizen. As they began talking daily, an emotional bond slowly formed. Though neither openly expressed their feelings, something resembling love began to grow between them.

Despite their age gap, Rama felt deeply drawn to him. She was charmed by his way of speaking and how he made her feel valued. A strong emotional attachment developed, but she couldn’t bring herself to call it love. Still, their bond continued to grow quietly.

Then, last Monday, Rama received a video call from the same WhatsApp number. But this time, it wasn’t the young man calling. On the screen, she saw him being beaten by a group of people.

“As soon as she picked up the call, she saw a scene where someone said, ‘We have taken your man hostage,’ while physically assaulting him,” said an officer at the Cyber Bureau investigating the case. “Panicked, she asked what she could do.”

The so-called kidnappers demanded money: “If you want to save him, send money immediately,” they said, warning that any delay could lead to harm. Out of fear, Rama agreed. Over multiple transactions, she was instructed to send a total of Rs 840,000 via QR codes. After the money was transferred, the caller said, “We will free him now,” and hung up.

Rama waited for a message from the young man, but none came. Distressed, she went to the Cyber Bureau, not to report fraud, but to find out what had happened to him. “She wasn’t trying to confirm whether she’d been scammed. She wanted to know if he was safe,” the officer said. “When we reviewed everything, it became clear she had been tricked in a planned and calculated manner.”

According to investigators, the scammer had slowly drawn her in through emotional manipulation. When he sensed she was willing to send money to protect him, the fake kidnapping was staged.

Even after being shown evidence of the fraud, Rama refused to believe it. “She was terrified, saying, ‘That man is like my son what if something happens to him?’” the officer said. “We explained that it was a scam, but she didn’t accept it.”

Rama accused the police of deceiving her and left the bureau. However, the Cyber Bureau is now investigating the bank accounts where she sent the money. “We’ve found that the accounts are in the names of Nepali students, who appear to be acting as money mules under the lure of ‘online jobs,’” the officer explained. “It appears the money sent by the victim was deposited in one of these accounts.”

The investigation is now focused on tracing how far this fraud network extends. A similar scam was recently reported at the Kathmandu Valley Crime Investigation Office, where scammers used WhatsApp to tell a mother her son had been kidnapped. It was later revealed that her son’s phone had been hacked and the entire drama staged.

Though the method was different, the use of a fake kidnapping remains a common element in both cases.

 

पछिल्लो अध्यावधिक: साउन २०, २०८२ १५:४७

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