A 50-year-old Italian jewellery designer travelled to India after alleging that a man she met on Instagram deceived her with a promise of marriage and persuaded her to send him money. Gurugram Cyber Police have now arrested a 36-year-old man in connection with the case.
The woman, identified as Paola Bertolini, travelled from Italy to New Delhi and approached the Gurugram Cyber Police after becoming frustrated with the lack of progress on a complaint she had previously filed in Italy. She had contacted Assistant Commissioner of Police (Cyber) Gaurav Fogat through Instagram in July and later travelled to India to pursue the complaint in person.
Bertolini told police that she had met the man on Instagram about six months earlier. According to her complaint, he presented himself as someone working in the film and fashion field in Gurugram and developed a romantic relationship with her while discussing marriage. He allegedly then asked her to provide financial assistance for his work.
Police said the woman transferred a total of €900 in two payments through Western Union — €450 on August 4 and another €450 on September 10. Earlier reports had described the amount as €1,000. According to the latest police account, the payments were allegedly made after the man sought money for AI video creation. After receiving the money, he allegedly stopped communicating with her.
An FIR was registered at the Cyber Crime West police station under Section 318 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Gurugram Cyber Police subsequently traced the suspect using financial and technical evidence.
On October 2, police arrested the accused, identified as Akhil, from the Sector 17 area of Gurugram. Police said he is originally from Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh and had been living in Gurugram. A mobile phone allegedly used in the offence was also recovered.
ACP Gaurav Fogat said the money had been transferred to the accused’s bank account through Muthoot Finance. After the applicable charges, Rs 67,297 was credited to the account, according to the police.
Police also said the accused is a B.Sc. graduate who had previously worked in technical support before losing his job in July 2025. Further investigation is under way.
After travelling to Gurugram, Bertolini also described her experience with the cyber police on the official social media page of Gurugram Police. She said she had come to India to report what she described as an international fraud involving a romance scam and other alleged online activities.
The case remains under investigation, with police examining the financial trail, digital communications and other evidence connected with the alleged fraud.