A 36-year-old widow from Hyderabad has accused a man she met on Facebook of sexually exploiting her on the false promise of marriage and cheating her of nearly 20 lakh in cash and gold jewellery. A case has been registered at Navrangpura Police Station in Ahmedabad against the accused and his brother.
According to the complaint, the woman came in contact with Rahul Kumar Rameshbhai Patel, a resident of Sundhiya village in Mehsana, around seven months ago through Facebook. Rahul allegedly told her that he was in the process of divorcing his wife and convinced her to move to Ahmedabad with the promise of marriage.
The woman alleged that Rahul kept her at a hotel in Navrangpura and later at a flat near Vaishnodevi Circle, where he had physical relations with her after repeatedly assuring her that they would get married.
The accused allegedly collected ₹19.91 lakh from the woman between December 2025 and May 2026, claiming the money was needed to invest in a plastic manufacturing business. He also allegedly took possession of 18 tolas of her gold jewellery after promising it would be used to secure an interest-free loan through his brother, Piyush Patel.
According to the complaint, instead of arranging the loan, Piyush allegedly pledged the jewellery with a finance company in Mundra. The woman has also alleged that Rahul took a loan of ₹1 lakh using her credit card without her knowledge.
When the woman demanded her money and jewellery back and insisted on marriage, Rahul allegedly asked her to meet him at the Gheekanta court in Ahmedabad on May 18, 2026, for a court marriage. However, after she reached the court, he allegedly switched off his phone and disappeared.
Based on the woman’s complaint, Navrangpura Police have registered a case against Rahul Patel and his brother Piyush Patel. Further investigation is underway.