Man held for luring 20 women into marriage, duping them of valuables

Palghar: The police in Maharashtra’s Palghar district have arrested a 43-year-old man who allegedly married more than 20 women across the country and duped them of their valuables, an official said on Sunday.

The MBVV police, probing a complaint lodged by a Nalla Sopara-based woman, apprehended the accused, Firoz Niaz Sheikh, from Kalyan in Thane district on July 23, an official said.

According to the complainant, the accused befriended her on a matrimonial website and married her, senior inspector Vijaysingh Bhagal said.

Sheikh took cash, a laptop and other valuables worth Rs. 6.5 lakh from the woman in October and November 2023, he said, adding that an FIR was registered under relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code.

The police recovered a laptop, mobile phones, debit and credit cards, chequebooks and jewellery from the accused, the official said.

The investigation has revealed that Sheikh targeted divorcees and widows on matrimonial sites, married them and cheated them of their valuables, he said.

The accused has cheated more than 20 women since 2015 in different parts of the country, including Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Gujarat, the official said.