Gurugram: Daniela De Pietri, a jewellery designer from Italy, was robbed of 900 euros by a man she had never met. She then spent nearly Rs 2 lakh to fly to India and make sure he was caught.
On Thursday night, the Gurugram cyber police arrested the man she named in her complaint.
“We have arrested Akhil Maurya, nearly 36 years of age, for the crime. More details will come only once we question him after producing him before the court,” Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Cyber, Gaurav Phogat, told ThePrint on Friday morning.
“He was working as technical support in a private company, but he lost his job in July last year and, for the lure of money, cheated her by promising marriage,” said ACP (Cyber) Gaurav Phogat during a press conference in the afternoon. “We have recovered the mobile phone he used for the crime.”
The accused is a B.Sc. graduate. He is a native of Bahadurpur village in Azamgarh district of Uttar Pradesh and lives in Sector 17, Sukhrali, Gurugram. Police arrested him from Sector 17 on 1 October.
De Pietri says the story began in March this year on Instagram. She and Maurya both followed a German singer, and their conversation started in the comments section of the singer’s page.
Maurya, a resident of Gurugram, told her he was an AI film creator and a jewellery designer. He offered to make AI videos for her jewellery business. He did not charge her.
Soon, she says, the talk turned personal. He showed a keen interest in her, spoke of working together and then promised to marry her.
Her complaint describes this as “love bombing”.
What is love bombing
The term is used for behaviour in which a person showers another with attention, affection and promises very early in a relationship. The aim is to win quick trust and emotional dependence. Once that bond is formed, the person starts making demands, often for money. Cyber crime investigators say romance fraudsters across the world use this method, especially against people living in other countries whom they have never met in person.
The demand for money
According to De Pietri, Maurya’s tone changed after she began to trust him. He told her he had lost his job and was in financial trouble. He asked her to send money.
He first asked for a transfer to his bank account. Her bank in Italy cautioned her about the transaction. She then used Western Union instead.
She sent 450 euros on 4 August and another 450 euros on 10 September. In all, it came to 900 euros, or about Rs 97,000.
The demands did not stop. When she refused to send more, she says, he stopped making videos for her business.
Doubts had already set in. She went through his social media activity. She alleges that his Instagram profile carried posts related to drugs and marijuana.
His Instagram bio, however, tells a different story. “Seasoned cybersecurity professional”, it says, adding that he is “championing mental health” and “antagonising OCD”. It opens with the line “An absolute state of mind”.
From Italy to Gurugram
De Pietri first went to the Italian police. They told her that the accused was in India and that the case involved a complex international legal process. The Gurugram Police, they said, were the ones who could act.
She contacted ACP Phogat and explained her complaint. Then she booked a flight to India. Her flight, visa and hotel stay cost her around Rs 2 lakh, more than twice the money she had lost.
She told the police that the case was not about money. In her words, as relayed by the officer, it was about broken trust and the emotional damage to her.
“She was very determined,” Phogat had said earlier, before the arrest. “She told us it was not just about the money. He had broken her trust and, she said, he was doing the same to women in other countries. We were amazed at her courage.”
A First Information Report (FIR) was registered at the Cyber Crime (West) police station in Gurugram. Police have identified two Instagram accounts linked to the accused: @akhil.maurya009 and @frontalcortex.ai.
Police said the investigation is underway. Maurya is to be produced before a court soon.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
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