Odisha man arrested for allegedly cheating women of Rs 1.19 crore by posing as doctor

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Police have arrested a 39-year-old man in Goa for allegedly defrauding several women of Rs 1.19 crore by posing as a doctor on matrimonial websites and promising to marry them. According to investigators, the accused allegedly built relationships with the women before persuading them to transfer money under various pretexts. 

Police said the accused primarily targeted women, including widows, who were seeking partners through online matrimonial platforms. He allegedly used fabricated medical documents, photographs and WhatsApp video calls to gain their confidence and make his claims appear credible. 

One of the complainants was a widow from Bhanjanagar in Odisha's Ganjam district who had registered on a matrimonial website in search of a second marriage. Police said the accused approached her on the platform and introduced himself as a resident of Bhubaneswar.  

After establishing contact, he allegedly claimed to be suffering from health problems and shared medical reports and photographs that were later found to be fake. Believing his claims, the woman reportedly transferred money to him.

Investigators suspect that the accused followed a similar pattern with other women, using online matrimonial profiles and personal interactions to establish trust before seeking financial assistance. The alleged fraud came to light as complaints relating to the transactions were investigated.

Following his arrest in Goa, police seized seven mobile phones, multiple SIM cards and rubber stamps from the accused. Authorities have also frozen Rs 12.31 lakh linked to the case as part of efforts to trace and secure the suspected proceeds of the fraud, Odisha TV reported. 

Police said the accused had previously been linked to other fraud-related cases registered at police stations in Bhubaneswar, Puri and Konark, as well as with the Berhampur Cyber Crime unit.

Another accused in the case was arrested on August 2, police said. The investigation is continuing to establish the extent of the alleged fraud, identify the women who were targeted and examine the accused's links to other cases.