A man from Hyderabad was arrested for allegedly defrauding a 42-year-old teacher from Pydhonie area of Rs 22 lakh by promising to marry her after meeting her on a matrimonial site, police reported on Tuesday.
Imran Ali Khan, 40, the accused, is suspected of duping around two dozen women from various states by posing as a prospective groom on matrimonial sites and extracting money from them, according to Pydhonie police. The complainant met Khan on a popular matrimonial site in May 2023, where he introduced himself as a construction contract businessman.
The complainant stated that Khan claimed to have an MCA (Master in Computer Application) degree and mentioned that his two brothers are studying in Canada. Khan would engage in lengthy conversations with the woman and promised to marry her.
After gaining her trust, Khan allegedly began asking for money under false pretenses. He convinced her to give him money for buying a flat in Mumbai’s Byculla, where they would live after marriage, as per the FIR.
The complainant alleged that Khan fraudulently obtained a total of Rs 21.73 lakh from her. Upon realizing that Khan had no intention of marrying her or returning her money, she informed her parents and approached the police to file a complaint against him.
Under the supervision of the zonal DCP, senior inspector Balkrishna Deshmukh formed a team led by sub-inspector Anil Wayal and head constable Irfan Khan, who apprehended the accused in Hyderabad.
Investigations suggest that Khan may have defrauded over two dozen women in Mumbai, Dhule, Solapur, Parbhani, Dehradun, Kolkata, Lucknow, and Delhi. He targeted divorced women as well, exploiting their emotional vulnerability and desire for a second marriage. The money obtained through fraud was allegedly used for gambling, according to PSI Wayal.
Khan has multiple cases of murder, attempted murder, rape, assault, and abetment to suicide registered against him in Dabeerapura police station and other police stations in Telangana. Charged with sections 409 and 420 of the IPC, Khan was produced before a court in Mumbai on Tuesday, which remanded him to police custody for four days, stated a police officer.