Man Dupes 35 Women Of Lakhs Through Matrimonial Sites: Mumbai Police

A 34-year-old man from the Thane district has been arrested for allegedly cheating at least 35 women, duping them of lakhs after connecting through matrimonial sites and social media, the police said today.

Unit 7 of Mumbai police's crime branch arrested Vishal alias Anurag Chavan, a resident of Kalyan, on Monday, an official said.

The fraud came to light when a 28-year-old woman approached the police in Mumbai's suburban Kanjurmarg with a complaint of cheating, he said.

The woman alleged that Chavan had contacted her after seeing her profile on a matrimonial site, and had promised to marry her after chatting with her for a few days, he said.

The accused then asked the complainant to give him Rs 2.25 lakh for investing with a promise of good returns, the official said.

Soon after the complainant deposited the money, the accused stopped responding to her messages and realised that she had been cheated, he said.

An FIR has been registered under the Indian Penal Code for "cheating".

During the probe, the police found that the accused had used a fake picture and address on the matrimonial site, and subsequently traced him to Thane district based on technical inputs, the official said.

A policeman disguised as a food delivery agent caught the accused, who had locked himself in a room, he said.

The accused has revealed that he had cheated at least 35 women in a similar manner and collected up to Rs 15 lakh, he said.

Chavan has also allegedly posed as a senior executive of a prominent mobile company and cheated people of Rs 20 lakh by promising mobile phones at low costs, the official said.

The accused has a record of cheating cases in Mumbai's Sion, Versova, and Narpoli police stations, he said.