Hyderabad, Oct. 16 -- A 32-year-old resident of Malakpet in Hyderabad, looking for a life partner, fell victim to an online dating and friendship scam and ended up losing Rs 6.5 lakh.

According to a press release from the Hyderabad cyber crime police, the victim, whose name has been withheld, was approached by a woman named Tanya Sharma after clicking on a dating site link.

He received a WhatsApp call from Sharma, who offered to add him to a 'friendship group' with a registration fee of Rs 1,950.

Later, two other women, Priti and Ritika, contacted the victim and convinced him to make several payments, including hotel bookings, meeting confirmation, service tax, refund process, account verification, and privacy security, police said. Th...