Man Arrested in Nalasopara for Duping Over 20 Women Under Pretext of Marriage

New Delhi: The Nalasopara police in Palghar district has arrested a man for allegedly robbing women by pretending to marry them. 

The accused identified as Firoz Niyazzi Sheikh, has deceived over 20 women by luring them into fake marriages and then robbing them of their money and jewelry.

Accused Targeted Widows Through Online Dating Sites

Sheikh's scheme involved creating a fake online presence to attract women, particularly targeting widows. According to Vijay Singh Bagal, an officer at the Nalasopara Police Station, Sheikh met these women on online dating websites. 

After gaining their trust, he would convince them to part with large sums of money and valuable jewelry before disappearing.

One of the victims lodged a complaint with the Nalasopara police. Sheikh frequently changed his phone number and had no identifiable photos online, making it difficult to track him down.

Here's How the Police Caught Firoz Niyazzi Sheikh

To trap Firoz Niyazzi Sheikh, the police created a fake profile of a woman on an online platform and arranged a meeting in Kalyan, where they arrested him.

Following the arrest, the police recovered three lakh rupees in cash, gold and silver jewelry, six mobile phones, laptops, and documents, including women's ATM cards and cheque books. These items were identified as belongings of Sheikh's victims.

Sheikh was presented in court and remanded to police custody for two days. The investigation is ongoing as the police works to identify and contact all of Sheikh's victims. 

Fake Marriages for Financial Gain

This isn't the first case of individuals deceiving each other through fake marriages to extract money. 

In March this year, a woman from Uttar Pradesh, who had been married for the past ten years, faked her identity to marry a resident of Panchkula. 

After the man discovered she was already married, she allegedly threatened to implicate him and subsequently extorted 30 lakhs rupees from him.