Kashmir trip with FB girlfriend goes awry for 73-year-old man
Times of India | 21 April 2025
Kolkata: A 73-year-old man from Kestopur, who met a middle-aged woman on Facebook and went on a trip to Kashmir with her, alleged she swapped his debit card and withdrew around Rs 2.6 lakh from his account over multiple transactions earlier this month.
According to the complaint lodged with the police, the elderly man started chatting with the woman on Facebook before they met in person and developed a "bond" online. Their virtual friendship soon turned personal, and the two planned a trip to Kashmir. As the two set off on their trip on April 1, the man reportedly asked the woman to keep his handbag, which had a State Bank of India (SBI) debit card in it.
"Since I am an elderly person, I asked her to accompany me on the trip. She agreed. When she came home to pick me up, I asked her to keep my handbag with her," he wrote in the complaint.
The two returned from the trip on April 9. On April 14, the man's son told him that he had received text messages from the bank, where they had a joint account, notifying multiple unauthorised transactions using the debit card, police said. A total of Rs 2,59,500 was withdrawn.
On checking the messages carefully, they noticed that the money had been withdrawn between April 10 and April 14. When the elderly person checked his bag, he realised that his SBI card was missing and in its place was another card, belonging to a different bank. He called up the woman but she reportedly did not respond. Realising he had been cheated, the man lodged a complaint at the Baguiati police station, naming the woman.
A case has been registered under cheating and criminal breach of trust. Police said they suspected she was married and lived in Agarpara. "The man told us he fell ill in Kashmir. That is when he had told the woman his debit card PIN. Multiple transactions were made from the account in Kashmir. After they returned, money was withdrawn with the card from Sodepur and Agarpara ATMs," said a senior Bidhannagar commissionerate officer. "The woman's phone has since been switched off and the address she had given is fake. The woman has also deactivated her Facebook account. We are trying to trace her. We have written to Facebook for her IP address."
Police once again cautioned against striking up conversations with strangers online. "We urge people, especially senior citizens, not to share PINs, passwords or bank cards with anyone, even if they seem trustworthy," said a senior officer.