A 66-year-old widower was cheated of Rs 24 lakh by an online 'friend'. The Navi Mumbai police have booked an unknown person for cheating. The woman, who claimed to be living in America, allegedly used various pretexts to dupe the man.

Simon Fernandes (name changed to protect identity), a resident of Kopar Khairane, was going through a tough time. His wife died of cancer in 2014 and their daughter is physically challenged. Simon's son is studying in the USA. Lonely and seeking companionship, he decided to register on a matrimonial site in June 2016. Within a few days, he received a friend request from a certain Maria Chandra. On browsing her profile, he found that she works as an architect in the US. "Both exchanged numbers and started chatting regularly," said an officer from Kopar Khairane police station.