The petitioner-woman and the complainant-man had met each other on Tinder. One day, when the man informed the woman that he was stressed, she told him about her Instagram page on which she claimed to be a wellness therapist, promoting general well-being of mind, body and soul. Throughout the COVID-19 lockdown, the man took classes of wellness therapy on Instagram, for which he paid the woman around ₹3.15 lakh.
Things took a turn for the worse when the man insisted on meeting the woman in person. When she refused to do so, he sent her lewd messages and pornographic content, prompting her to block him on social media.
Thereafter, on finding that the woman had 15 different social media profiles offering similar services, the man filed a complaint with the police.
After investigation, the police filed a chargesheet against the woman for the offence of cheating under Section 420 of the Indian Penal Code and various sections of the Information and Technology (IT) Act against the woman. Aggrieved by the same, she moved the High Court seeking to quash the proceedings.
Source: Barandbench
