According to investigators, Dinesh Kumar and his associate created fake identities as religious figures to gain the victim’s trust. They allegedly invoked fear by claiming the presence of supernatural threats and promised relief in exchange for money. Between February 2024 and May 2025, the woman was persuaded to transfer money multiple times and hand over gold jewellery in Chandigarh.A 25-year-old man from Rajasthan has been arrested for allegedly posing as a “tantrik” and “maulvi” on social media to dupe a woman of nearly Rs 40 lakh and around 150 grams of gold jewellery, in what the police described as a case of exploitation of a vulnerable victim.DSP (Cyber Crime) A Venkatesh said that the arrest is part of a wider crackdown by the Cyber Crime Police Station, Sector 17, which also led to the arrest of another accused in a separate online banking fraud case.The accused, identified as Dinesh Kumar of Churu district, was arrested in connection with FIR number 8, dated January 14, 2026, registered under relevant provisions of the BNS.Police said the victim, a Chandigarh resident facing family-related distress, came into contact with the accused through advertisements on Facebook and Instagram claiming to offer solutions to personal and domestic problems.According to investigators, Dinesh Kumar and his associate created fake identities as religious figures to gain the victim’s trust. They allegedly invoked fear by claiming the presence of supernatural threats and promised relief in exchange for money. Between February 2024 and May 2025, the woman was persuaded to transfer money multiple times and hand over gold jewellery in Chandigarh.Police said the accused also visited the city posing as a tantrik and forcibly took jewellery from the victim. The total amount cheated is estimated to be around Rs 40 lakh. During the investigation, it was found that Rs 18.43 lakh had been routed into Dinesh Kumar’s bank account. A mobile phone and an ATM card were recovered from his possession. He was produced in court after a day of police remand and sent to judicial custody.Earlier, another accused, Rohit Bhargav, 25, from Jhunjhunu district in Rajasthan, had been arrested in the same case for allegedly operating fake social media accounts and facilitating financial transactions. He is also suspected to have sold part of the stolen gold.In a separate case, the Cyber Crime Police arrested Somnath Saha, 20, a resident of Kolkata, in connection with an online banking fraud of Rs 3.6 lakh. The case was registered on the complaint of a Chandigarh resident who reported unauthorised transactions from his HDFC Bank account.Story continues below this adPolice said the defrauded amount was traced to a Yes Bank account linked to the accused. A Chandigarh Police team, with assistance from West Bengal Police, arrested Saha from Kolkata.During questioning, he allegedly admitted to sharing his bank account, ATM card and SIM card with another person for illegal transactions in exchange for commission.Police said efforts are on to trace other accused and recover the cheated money.Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd