TL;DR: The420.in reported on July 24, 2026 that Hardik Soni, a 33-year-old CFO in Ahmedabad, alleges he lost ₹78.99 lakh between May 2025 and January 2026 after meeting “Harshitha Gondawith” on the Sangam matrimonial app. She moved the chat to WhatsApp and steered him to a fake crypto site. Police suspect an organised network.
What happened
The420.in reports that Hardik Chandrakantbhai Soni, 33, Chief Financial Officer at a private company in Ahmedabad, subscribed to the matrimonial app Sangam in March 2025. On May 8, 2025 he found a profile of a woman calling herself Harshitha Gondawith. They moved to WhatsApp and built a relationship over several weeks. These are allegations from his complaint.
How the trap worked
- She described big crypto trading profits and said she had bought a house in central Berlin, sharing property videos as proof.
- He first declined to invest, then agreed after repeated persuasion.
- She sent him to a trading site where he registered with his name, email, phone number and driving licence details.
- Support staff told him to send money to rotating bank accounts and share receipt screenshots. His account was credited with USDT, a dollar-linked cryptocurrency, and showed rising profits.
- When he tried to withdraw, operators demanded taxes, processing charges and verification fees. He paid several more amounts and got back neither his money nor any returns.
The loss and the police case
Transfers ran from May 8, 2025 to January 26, 2026, from ₹10,000 up to more than ₹10 lakh at a time, adding up to ₹78.99 lakh. He first complained on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal and then filed an FIR with Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Police. Police believe it points to an organised network. The FIR names the matrimonial profile, the operator of the WhatsApp number, the trading website operators and the holders of the receiving accounts. No arrests are reported.
Red flags
- A match who shows off foreign property and crypto profits.
- A trading site you reach by link, with instructions to send money to changing bank accounts.
- Withdrawal blocked by “tax” or “verification” fees.
- Requests for ID such as a driving licence on an unknown site.
See how matrimonial sites verify members, how to verify a matrimonial profile and how India's romance investment scams work. If you have paid, report to 1930 and read investment app scam recovery. Run our free digital footprint check to see what is exposed under your phone and email.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much did the CFO lose?
₹78.99 lakh between May 8, 2025 and January 26, 2026, according to the FIR reported by The420.in.
Which matrimonial app was used?
Sangam, where he subscribed in March 2025.
What is USDT?
A cryptocurrency pegged to the US dollar. The fake site credited USDT to his account to show rising profits.
Has anyone been arrested?
No arrests are reported. The FIR names the profile, phone operator, site operators and account holders.
Sources
- The420.in: Ahmedabad CFO crypto matrimonial app fraud (Jul 24, 2026)
- National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (cybercrime.gov.in)