Man Poses as Woman on Snapchat, Cheats Pune Resident of Rs 1.5 Lakh in Cryptocurrency Fraud
Reported by Mubarak Ansari
Pune, 4th September 2026: The Pune Cyber Police have arrested a 25-year-old man for allegedly posing as a woman on Snapchat and cheating a city resident of approximately ₹1.5 lakh by luring him into a cryptocurrency investment scheme.
According to Pune City Police, the complainant received a friend request on Snapchat from an account operated under the name “Prinsika Joshi.” After accepting the request, the complainant developed a friendship with the account holder. The two remained in regular contact through Snapchat chats and mobile phone calls for nearly six to seven months.
Police said the person operating the account gradually gained the complainant’s trust and persuaded him to invest in cryptocurrency by promising substantial profits and attractive returns. Believing the assurances, the complainant transferred 1,468 USDT, worth approximately ₹1.5 lakh, from his crypto wallet to a wallet specified by the accused.
After some time, the complainant repeatedly sought details about the growth of his investment, the promised returns and the repayment of his money. However, the person using the name “Prinsika Joshi” allegedly deactivated the Snapchat and Instagram accounts and began avoiding all communication.
Realising that he had been cheated, the complainant approached the Pune Cyber Police Station. A case was registered under Sections 319(2) and 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with Sections 66(C) and 66(D) of the Information Technology Act, 2000.
As the fraud involved an unusual method, a cyber police team immediately began investigating the case. Officers analysed the Snapchat ID, mobile number and other available technical information. The investigation led them to Kunal Jitendra Admane, 25, a resident of the Parvati area of Pune.
Police initially faced a contradiction because the complainant believed that he had been communicating with a woman named “Prinsika Joshi,” while the technical investigation pointed to Admane. During his interrogation, police discovered that no woman named Prinsika Joshi was involved in the conversations.
According to the police, Admane had allegedly created a fake Snapchat account in a woman’s name, concealed his real identity and imitated a female voice while speaking to the complainant over the phone. The accused, who has studied hotel management, allegedly maintained contact with the complainant for several months to gain his confidence before inducing him to transfer cryptocurrency.
Admane was arrested on August 31, 2026. Police are conducting a detailed investigation to determine whether he used similar fake identities on Snapchat or other social media platforms to cheat additional victims.
Warning citizens against trusting unknown people online, Senior Police Inspector Swapnali Shinde, in-charge of Pune Cyber Police Station, said, “A photograph, name or voice on social media should not be considered proof of a person’s true identity. Citizens must exercise special caution while befriending strangers online and should not trust anyone promising quick, substantial or guaranteed returns on cryptocurrency investments.”
She added, “Anyone who has been persuaded through Snapchat or another social media platform to invest in cryptocurrency, or who suspects that they have been financially cheated, should immediately contact the cyber police. All available chats, mobile numbers, social media IDs, crypto-wallet addresses and transaction details should be preserved as evidence.”
The operation was conducted under the guidance of Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime) Tejaswi Satpute and Deputy Commissioner of Police (Economic Offences and Cyber) Vivek Masal.
Police Inspector Sharad Shelke and police personnel Krushnakant Desai, Balasaheb Chavan, Janhavi Badekar, Ravindra Salve, Sandeep Mundhe, Sandeep Karkud, Supriya Holkar, Krishna Markad, Shrikrishna Nagtilak and Sonali Chavan were part of the team involved in the operation.
