Khajni resident loses savings after online acquaintance claims luggage detained at Delhi airport
A man from Gorakhpur's Khajni area has registered a complaint after allegedly being cheated of ₹15.20 lakh by persons who posed as a foreign woman on Facebook and sought money to secure the release of detained luggage at Delhi airport, police said on Tuesday.
According to the FIR and the complaint submitted to investigators, the victim, identified as Indralal Jaiswal of Khoria alias Bhiti village, became friendly on Facebook with a woman who presented herself as Charlotte Olivia and said she was a United States resident working in Syria. In ensuing chats, she purportedly told him she intended to visit India and later claimed airport officials had seized her baggage and were demanding payment for its release.
Believing the account, Jaiswal is reported to have transferred a total of ₹15,20,399 from his State Bank of India account using the bank's mobile application to multiple bank accounts supplied by the caller. When additional sums were sought, he grew suspicious and lodged a complaint on the national cybercrime portal before approaching the Gorakhpur police, the FIR states.
Inspector Jayant Kumar Singh said an FIR had been registered against an unidentified woman in the name of Charlotte Olivia and the cybercrime cell is examining the transactions.
Investigation under way with cybercrime cell support
Police said the WhatsApp numbers linked to the alleged fraudster displayed the names Charlotte Olivia and Sonam Kumari, and the complainant provided transaction records and other documents to support his case. The local police station has formally recorded the matter as an FIR against an unidentified woman using the name Charlotte Olivia, officials said.
The Gorakhpur cybercrime cell has taken over aspects of the probe and is examining the digital trail of transfers and the bank accounts used to receive funds, Inspector Jayant Kumar Singh said. Law-enforcement sources added that standard steps include seeking details from banks under lawful procedure and tracing the beneficiary accounts through financial intelligence channels.
- Victim: Indralal Jaiswal, Khoria alias Bhiti village, Khajni area
- Mode: Social-media contact (Facebook) and WhatsApp, mobile-banking transfers
- Amount lost: ₹15,20,399
- Action: FIR registered; cybercrime cell investigating
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Alleged online identity | "Charlotte Olivia" (also linked to name "Sonam Kumari" on WhatsApp) |
| Method of payment | SBI mobile app transfers to several bank accounts |
| Police status | FIR registered; cybercrime cell examining transactions |
Local context and cautions for residents
Gorakhpur police statistics show that social-media and cyber-enabled frauds are increasingly reported across Uttar Pradesh, mirroring a national trend of scams leveraging fake profiles and urgent narratives to extract funds. Investigators told reporters that victims often comply because the schemes use emotional appeals and create a sense of immediacy, for example by alleging detained belongings or personal emergency at an airport.
Officials reiterated standard precautions: verify the identity of online acquaintances through independent channels, avoid transferring money to unknown persons, and report suspicious requests to banks and the national cybercrime portal. The police emphasised that once funds leave a victim's account and are moved to multiple recipient accounts, recovery becomes legally and technically complex, requiring co‑operation from financial institutions and tracing by cyber units.
The case is being investigated on the basis of the complaint lodged by the victim and the FIR registered at the local police station. The cybercrime cell's inquiry will focus on the transactional flow and the ownership details of beneficiary accounts. No arrests have been reported so far, police said.
Residents seeking guidance on online safety were advised to consult bank helplines immediately on any suspicious transactions and to preserve chat records and payment receipts when filing complaints, officials added.
