Rajasthan Resident Arrested in Gujarat Over ₹4.2 Lakh Fake Escort Scam

Adilabad district police arrested 23‑year‑old Dinesh Patel of Dagar village, Udaipur district, Rajasthan, for allegedly cheating a resident of Sangidi village in Bela mandal of ₹4.20 lakh through a fake online escort service. Investigators say Patel shared bogus escort links on messaging apps to lure victims. The links prompted victims to enter credit‑card details and pay fees, after which Patel allegedly moved the money through unauthorized card transactions. The victim in Sangidi reported the loss after seeing a payment of ₹4.20 lakh on his statement. Police disclosed that Patel is suspected of being linked to roughly 220 complaints of similar fraud across India, including 20 complaints filed in Telangana. The pattern suggests a wider network using fake escort offers to steal credit‑card funds. The arrest was carried out in the Adilabad district of Telangana, where the police continue to probe related cases.

Context

Fake online services, especially fake escort offers, are a common lure in cyber‑fraud schemes, exploiting trust in messaging platforms and credit‑card payments. Such scams often involve multiple victims across different states, prompting coordinated police action.