Woman booked for cheating friend of Rs 8.17 lakh in Thane

Thane: A case has been registered against a 38-year-old woman from Maharashtra's Thane city who allegedly duped her friend of Rs 8.17 lakh on the pretext of claiming her deceased father's life insurance and promising a cut from the money, police said on Friday.

Based on a complaint, the police on Wednesday registered a case under section 420 (cheating) and other relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code against the accused, Sonia Suresh Nair, at Vishnunagar police station in Dombivili, an official said.

Nair allegedly approached her friend claiming that her deceased father had a life insurance policy worth Rs 88 lakh and the funds were frozen in a joint bank account she held with him, as it was inactive, he said.

The accused told the complainant that she needed Rs 8.17 lakh to pay the activation fee to get the policy amount and promised him a share of the payout, the official said.

The complainant paid Rs 8.17 lakh to the accused through online transactions between July 2023 and January 2024, he said.

No arrest has been made in the case yet, and further probe is underway, he added.