Mumbai: Matrimonial cheat arrested for conning widow of Rs 56,000

Sagar Ghosalkar alias Sagar Gupte, the accused

The Bangur Nagar police arrested a cheat who allegedly created fake profiles under various names on matrimonial sites to con women under the pretext of marriage. He would emotionally manipulate and extort money from his victims.

A key victim in the case is a 34-year-old widow, who had lost her husband to COVID-19. On the insistence of her family members, she registered on matrimonial sites for a second marriage. Through the matrimonial website, the woman got a response from a prospective groom who identified himself as Sagar Gupte, 35. Gupte expressed his desire to marry the woman and though they never met in person, they have been regularly communicating with each other. During this period, Gupte had taken money from the woman under various pretexts.

The fraud came to light, when the woman was searching for a match for her younger sister on a matrimonial site. She was shocked to find the same man using a different name. The man whom she was considering marrying was trying to deceive other women under various identities. Realizing the scam, she approached the Bangur Nagar police and lodged an FIR in September.

According to the victim's statement to the police, Gupte had introduced himself as a businessman, claiming that he was frequently out of town due to work. Their conversation developed over several months, and the victim trusted him. When the victim's family planned a trip to Himachal Pradesh, Gupte mentioned he had lived there for years and ran a hotel business. He offered to secure a discounted hotel package for Rs 24,000, which the victim paid.

Over a period of time, Gupte fleeced Rs 56,000 from the victim for various reasons. He had told her his mother was unwell, her subsequent death, and met with an accident. All these claims turned out to be concocted when the suspect was arrested by the police. Whenever she asked to meet him, he would delay, citing work commitments. When the victim's father had fallen ill and required money for hospitalization, she sought help from Gupte, but he distanced himself and stopped answering her calls. The victim grew suspicious, but her doubts solidified when she came across Gupte's profile under a different name on a matrimonial site. She immediately realized she had been duped and approached the police.

Under the guidance of deputy commissioner of police Anand Bhoite and senior police inspector Anil Thakare, assistant police inspector Vivek Tambe and his team began an investigation. Through a technical analysis of mobile call records, they traced and arrested the accused on September 10. "Ghosalkar was produced before the court and remanded to police custody," said senior police inspector Thakare.

It was after his arrest that the police found that Gupte's real name is Sagar Krishnakumar Ghosalkar, a resident of Neelam Apartment, MG Road, LT Nagar, Goregaon West. He was booked under several sections of the IPC and IT Act and is currently in police custody. During the interrogation, the police found several fake profiles with different names on matrimonial sites in Ghosalkar's mobile phone. They also identified two more victims and called them to record their statements.