Chennai: A 35-year-old Andhra Pradesh-based man, was arrested by Koyambedu police for posing himself as a prospective groom on matrimonial websites, and cheating women and stealing their jewellery. Investigators said the accused was wanted in a similar case registered at the CMBT police station and had a criminal record in Andhra Pradesh.The accused was identified as Chella Narayanan, of Chittoor district, Andhra Pradesh. He was apprehended on July 10 and brought to Chennai for interrogation.Police said one of the cases was registered on the complaint of a 30-year-old woman from Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh, who worked for a pharmaceutical company in Hyderabad. The divorced woman, who has a 7-year-old son, had registered on a private matrimonial website for remarriage.The accused contacted her and developed a relationship with her over a month. On July 5, he asked her to come to Chennai, booked a room at a lodge in Koyambedu and later took her to Nithya Perumal Temple, Mahabalipuram. During the temple visit, he persuaded her to hand over her jewellery for safekeeping.After returning to the lodge, the complainant went to the restroom, during which the accused fled with her jewellery — a 7g gold chain and two gold rings (weighing 4g and 2g). Realising that she was cheated, a complaint was lodged with Koyambedu police.Police said the accused had used the same modus operandi in another case registered on June 19, in which he was accused of cheating another woman of 44g of gold jewellery. Investigators found that he committed the second offence while remaining at large in the first case. Police also said Chella Narayanan also had previous criminal cases under the Pocso Act, murder, theft and cheating registered against him in Andhra Pradesh.
