MUMBAI: A man from Malad was booked on Thursday for allegedly defrauding a 37-year-old model of ₹35 lakh under the pretext of helping her pursue a sexual assault case against her estranged husband and later getting her to invest in his business, which did not yield her any profits as promised.
According to the police, the complainant, a resident of Evershine Nagar in Malad West, met her former husband in 2023 through an online messaging application. The two developed a relationship, and the man allegedly promised to marry her. Subsequently, they engaged in sexual relations, following which he married her but soon cut off all contact with her. Since he broke his promises, the police are legally allowed to file charges against him for sexual assault, as per Section 375 IPC, read with Section 90 (sexual intercourse under false promises) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
The woman told the police that, in 2023, the situation left her mentally distressed and depressed, and she attempted suicide. Her neighbour, Adriana Nevada Putman, alerted the police, after which she was rescued. The door of her house was broken open and she was admitted to a nursing home for treatment, the police said.
“A few days later, the neighbour’s husband, Nevada Putman, allegedly approached her, expressed sympathy and assured her of help. He reportedly convinced her to file a complaint against her estranged husband, claiming that he would assist her through the legal process. He then told her that expenses from the police station to the court would require money and demanded ₹15 lakh, which she paid,” said a police officer.
In her statement to the police, the woman said that between 2024 and July 2025, Putman persuaded her to invest another ₹20 lakh in his business, assuring her of good returns. However, she neither received any profit nor got her money back.
When she demanded the repayment of her investment, Putman allegedly threatened her and refused to return the amount. Realising that she had been cheated, the woman approached the Bangur Nagar police, following which an FIR was registered on Thursday.