Man poses as woman, dupes law student of ₹1.5L in crypto fraud | Hindustan Times

PUNE: A 25-year-old hotel management professional allegedly posed as a woman on online social media platform, befriended an LLB student for nearly nine months and duped him of cryptocurrency worth ₹1.5 lakh by luring him into a fake investment opportunity. Pune cyber police arrested the accused after tracing the digital trail to his real identity, police said on Friday.

The accused, Kunal Jitendra Admane of Parvati, was arrested on August 31. The fraud allegedly took place between October 2, 2025 and July 19, 2026, and an FIR was registered at the Pune Cyber Cell on August 13.

According to the police, Admane created a fake online account in the name of “Prinsika Joshi”, using a woman’s photograph and allegedly a female voice during phone conversations with the 23-year-old complainant.

The complainant, a law student, accepted a friend request from the account and gradually developed a friendship with the person behind it. After gaining his trust through regular chats and calls, the accused allegedly introduced him to cryptocurrency investments, promising attractive returns.

Police said the complainant subsequently transferred 1,468 USDT cryptocurrency, worth around ₹1.5 lakh, in multiple transactions from his crypto wallet to a wallet allegedly controlled by Admane.