Matrimonial fraud: Accused created fake profile to get phone recharge for free, say police

Chennai: Royapettah police station who arrested a 42-year-old man for cheating an NRI from Canada to the tune of Rs 1.35 crore were caught by surprise when the accused informed them that he opened a fake profile just to find someone to get his phone recharged for free as he lost his job during the pandemic.

“The accused Senthil Prakash of Perambur was struggling financially and came up with the idea to create a fake profile on matrimonial site so that he can find some person to recharge his phone for free and get small financial helps.

However, since the victim Pachiyappan was very frustrated in his wedded life, he easily fell in the trap of Senthil Prakash and showered him money when he demanded citing different reasons," said police. The victim, who is a father two children, has now reconciled with his wife.

While police have seized Rs 30 lakh and gadgets from Senthil Prakash, inquiries revealed that he downloaded an application to sound like a woman to the victim Pachiyappan, said an officer who interrogated him. “No woman was involved in the cheating and there was no one called Rajeshwari, whom the victim thought he was romancing with.

Police said that Senthil Prakash spent the money lavishly for his family - his wife and a child for about two years but he was shocked when Pachiyappan landed in Chennai. “He decided to put an end to this and threatened the victim at the hotel he stayed in so that he would not contact him again," said police.

Senthil Prakash was remanded in judicial custody on Wednesday and police have decided to take him into custody again to retrieve the remaining cash.