UP cyber fraud: Woman ends life after losing money in online job scam; body found in Betwa River | Lucknow News

JHANSI: The body of a 29-year-old woman, who had gone missing a few days ago, was recovered from the Betwa River on Saturday. Police investigations revealed that she had fallen victim to a cyber fraud, losing her money to scammers, which allegedly drove her into depression.The incident took place in the Barua Sagar area of Jhansi district. The victim, identified as Bhawna Pal, went missing on Tuesday. Her husband, Sher Singh, who runs a dhaba, told police that she had left home with a small container of water, as she usually did while going to the temple.When she failed to return, her family lodged a missing complaint. CCTV footage later showed Bhawna near the local bus stand, but she could not be traced afterwards.According to police, Bhawna had been looking for ways to supplement the family’s income when she came across an online advertisement by a supposed pencil company offering work-from-home packaging jobs with attractive pay.After contacting the alleged company officials, Bhawna was asked to pay around ₹35,000 as registration and security fees. She reportedly borrowed the money from relatives, but later discovered that the company was fake after the people she spoke to online disappeared.Distraught over losing the money, Bhawna is believed to have taken her own life. Her body was found floating in the Betwa River on Saturday.Station Officer Rahul Rathore of Barua Sagar Police said the body was handed over to her family after post-mortem. Further investigation is underway.Bhawna, a native of Jhansi, was married in 2023 and was the mother of a 14-month-old son.