Ricky, now using the name "Dev," a spiritual-but-calculating "wellness fund manager," took the bait within 48 hours. He saw the vulnerability. He smelled the twelve crores.

They didn't just beat Ricky Bahl. They taught him that the greatest con of all isn't stealing money.

The con proceeded for six weeks. Dev took Alisha for quiet walks. He listened to her "grief." He never pushed. He was perfect. Tara, watching through hidden cameras in the hotel suite, felt a chill. He was too good. He believed his own lies.

Tara played the long-distance CFO, feeding "Alisha" financial jargon through an earpiece.