Man from city held for cheating women with marriage proposal

COIMBATORE: An unemployed man from Chennai posing as a customs officer duped many women by promising to marry them and decamped with their gold jewellery was arrested by Salem police on Saturday.

The accused Ramesh, (36) from Pallavaram, targeted mainly aged and divorced women, who have registered in matrimonial sites looking for a suitable groom. He was arrested based on a complaint from a 36-year-old woman from Ammapet in Salem.

The victim had uploaded her profile on a matrimonial site in search of a life partner. Police said Ramesh reached her parents over phone expressing his willingness to marry her. He claimed that his parents and wife were no more.

To gain the trust of the family members, Ramesh also visited their house and convinced them to agree for marriage. Even as arrangements were under way, Ramesh visited their house in Salem a few days ago and received a gold chain from the family members, by claiming to have it as a model to buy a new one to be gifted to the bride during the engagement ceremony.

The bride’s parents gave him six sovereigns of gold chain. Thereafter, Ramesh could not be contacted, as his mobile phone remained switched off. Based on a complaint, the Ammapet police registered a case and nabbed the culprit. Inquiries revealed that Ramesh had duped at least seven women from Salem, Krishnagiri, Chennai, Erode and Villupuram of above 20 sovereigns by following the same modus operandi. He did not go to any job and his parents, wife and child were alive, police said.