In a dramatic scene echoing the iconic water tanker moment from the Bollywood classic Sholay, Pawan Pandey, a 27-year-old paan shop owner, climbed a mobile tower in Yakubpur village, Bhadohi district, on Sunday, threatening to jump unless his “girlfriend” Khushbu was brought for marriage. The five-hour standoff with police and firefighters ended with a shocking revelation: Khushbu was a fake identity used in an online scam, police said.

Circle Officer Ashok Kumar Mishra reported that Pandey ascended the tower at 9 am, shouting for Khushbu and refusing to descend without her. Despite extensive efforts to locate her, no such woman existed. Authorities employed a female officer to pose as Khushbu in a phone call, convincing Pandey to climb down by 2 pm. Investigations revealed that Pandey had been deceived for two years by a fake Instagram profile using a woman’s photo, with the scammer allegedly extracting money under the pretense of a romantic relationship.

“Pandey believed people were keeping Khushbu from him,” Mishra said, adding that the scam came to light after his interrogation. The police have filed charges against Pandey for public disturbance under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, while a separate probe targets the unidentified scammer. Cybercrime experts note that such romance scams have surged, with Uttar Pradesh reporting over 1,200 cases in 2024, costing victims ₹15 crore.

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Social media posts on X, including from @News18_UK, captured the incident’s drama, with users like @UP_VaranasiNews comparing it to Sholay’s iconic scene. Others, like @BharatKiBaat, expressed sympathy for Pandey, urging stronger cybercrime measures. The incident has sparked local calls for awareness campaigns to combat online fraud.

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