India, May 13 -- A 23-year-old engineering student in Mumbai lost more than Rs.6 lakh to cyber fraud while searching for female escort services online, the police said on Monday.

The victim, a research trainee in chemical technology from Tamil Nadu, stays in Wadala East, news agency PTI reported.

"While searching for call girl services online on April 4, he came across a WhatsApp number and initiated conversation," an official said.

An unidentified person responded to his query and told him the charges for the escort services. Initially, the victim paid Rs.500 on a QR code sent by the fraudster as a form of "advance" payment.

After this, the official said, the student was promised that a girl would be sent to him along with a driver....