THANE: A 62-year-old resident of Navi Mumbai has allegedly been cheated of Rs 73.72 lakh after being lured into gold trading for high returns by a woman whom he met through a dating application, police said on Monday.

The woman got in touch with the man, who resides in the New Panvel area, 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 assured the victim of high returns and persuaded him to use a specific trading application. The victim subsequently invested Rs 73.72 lakh over a span of three months, the official said.

However, when no returns were credited later, the man grew suspicious.

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.