Chennai:
A 39-year-old engineer, who cheated some ashrams in Tamil Nadu to the tune of a few lakhs of rupees after offering to send them vehicles for their services for a 'paltry' sum, has been arrested,police said.
Enquiries revealed that he had spent the money helping the poor for their education and medical needs,sources said.
Police said the engineer, R Prakash, hailing from Madurai, decided to con ashrams and self-styled godmen after his father died reportedly upset after losing Rs two lakh to a self-styled godman a few years back and his mother too passing away in quick succession.
Prakash had sent e-mails to about 100 ashrams offering to donate vehicles for them if they could pay him sums ranging between Rs 30,000-Rs 50,000, that could be spent on road tax and insurance, police said.
Some of them responded and paid him the amount through a bank account he had created for this purpose, police said adding he had earned about Rs six lakh.
His crime came to light when one of the ashrams became suspicious and lodged a complaint with police here.
Prakash was arrested from West Godavarai district in Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday, police said.
In fact, after realising that one of his victims, an NGO, was indeed into community service, he returned the money to them,police said.