The Mysuru City police have arrested a 35-year-old man, who has allegedly cheated more than 15 women by marrying them, posing as a doctor or engineer on matrimonial websites, and later decamping with their valuables.
The modus operandi of the accused Mahesh, a resident of Banashankari in Bengaluru, was to upload his profile on matrimonial websites by claiming to be a doctor or engineer and exploit unsuspecting women including divorcees or widows, who were financially independent professionals.
After gaining the trust of his victims, the accused would marry them, only to desert them soon thereafter and abscond with their cash, jewellery and other valuables.
However, his cheating streak came to an end when one of his victims, a 45-year-old software professional, lodged a complaint with Kuvempunagar Police after he fled with gold valuables worth ₹8 lakh and ₹15 lakh in cash.
The complainant said the accused claiming to be a doctor, specialising in Orthopaedics, had uploaded his profile on a matrimonial website before contacting her with an alliance. After their meeting in Bengaluru, Mahesh, who claimed to be a resident of R.T. Nagar in Mysuru, invited her to his rented house Mysuru and took her to Chamundeshwari Temple atop Chamundi Hills in December 2022.
The accused informed the complainant that he was planning to open a clinic in Vijayangar in Mysuru.
After discussing the alliance with the complainant’s parents, the wedding took place in Vishakapatnam in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh in January 2023. Soon after the newly wedded couple returned to Mysuru, the accused allegedly asked the complainant to apply for a loan of several lakhs of rupees to open his clinic.
When the complainant refused, the accused left the house citing work elsewhere, but took with him ₹15 lakh in cash and gold jewellery worth ₹8 lakh.
The victim lodged a complaint with Kuvempunagar police in Mysuru in June, after she met another victim from Bengaluru, who informed her that she too had been deceived by Mahesh.
The Mysuru City police arrested Mahesh earlier this month and recovered ₹2 lakh cash, 2 cars and some of the stolen gold jewellery.
During interrogation, the police said, the accused had confessed to marrying more than 15 women and had stayed with them in different rented accommodations.
