An elderly man who is a resident of Navi Mumbai has allegedly been cheated out of Rs 73.72 lakh by a woman whom he met through an online dating app.

The 62-year-old man, who lives in the New Panvel area, was lured by the woman into investing in a gold trading scheme, assuring him of high returns, reported PTI.

According to the police, the woman got in touch with the man through the dating app between March and May 2024.

Following initial interactions, the two continued chatting on WhatsApp during which the woman, who identified herself as Zia, lured the man to invest in a gold trading scheme, an official from Khandeshwar police station said.

The woman persuaded the victim to use a specific trading application, following which he invested Rs 73.72 lakhs over three months, the police said.

The man grew suspicious when no returns were credited even after a while.

When he tried to enquire about the promised returns and the invested money, the woman stopped responding and eventually became incommunicado, the official said.

The man then approached the police with a complaint.

Following a preliminary inquiry, the police on July 4 registered a case under sections 420 (cheating) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code and relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act, the official said.

The police were working to trace the accused and track digital footprints related to the fraudulent transactions, he added.

(With inputs from PTI)