Mysore/Mysuru: A conman who posed as a doctor on matrimonial websites including the portals that are meant exclusively for doctors has been arrested by the Kuvempunagar Police.

Initial investigation has revealed that the accused married and cheated over 15 women in Mysuru and Bengaluru. Surprisingly, only one woman came forward to lodge a Police complaint against the conman with the help of which he was arrested.

Police said that Mahesh was confident that if he married and conned women in high positions, they will desist from filing a Police complaint. This boosted his confidence as most of the women did not complain but silently suffered his atrocities. 

The accused has been identified as 35-year-old K.B. Mahesh, a resident of Banashankari in Bengaluru, who used to upload his profile on matrimonial sites like shadi.com or doctorsmatrimony.com.

Exploiting unsuspecting individuals, Mahesh, who barely completed the 5th grade, masterminded an elaborate scheme where he posed as a doctor, tricking over 15 women into marrying him and swindling them of their valuables. However, the cunning fraudster’s deceptive streak has come to an end now.

His victims were carefully selected, targeting unmarried women, divorcees and widows, who held reputable positions and possessed substantial wealth. Since 2007, Mahesh had been orchestrating these scams, confessing to the Police that he had conned more than 15 women into marriage. Shockingly, some of these victims had children and Mahesh had rented a house in Mysuru and take his victims there to show off and make an impression. He also told the Police that he had rented the Mysuru house and had kept three of his victims there.

How he was arrested?

The crime came to light when a software engineer from Bengaluru, 45-year-old Hemalatha, reported the cheating to the Police. Shortly after their marriage, Mahesh decamped with 200 grams of gold worth Rs. 8 lakh and Rs. 15 lakh in cash.

Sending her profile a request on shadi.com on August 22, 2022, Mahesh introduced himself as an ortho DNB specialist in Mysuru and expressed his interest in marrying her. He told Hemalatha that he was a resident of SBM Layout in R.T. Nagar, Mysuru.

Impressed by his profile, Hemalatha responded and they met at a fruit juice shop in Marathahalli, Bengaluru and exchanged phone numbers. On Dec. 22, 2022, Mahesh invited Hemalatha to Mysuru and took her to Chamundi Hill for the darshan of the presiding deity. He later brought her to his home at SBM Layout.

He then informed Hemalatha about his plans to open a clinic at Vijayanagar Fourth Stage. Hemalatha discussed the alliance with her parents, leading to their marriage on Jan 28, 2023, at Dolphin Hotel in Visakhapatnam.

Rs. 70 lakh loan

They returned to Mysuru just a day after the wedding and after a day or two, he asked Hemalatha to apply for a loan of Rs. 70 lakh to finance the opening of his new clinic. Hemalatha refused and Mahesh allegedly threatened her.

On Feb. 5, Mahesh stole 200 grams of gold and Rs. 15 lakh in cash. Meanwhile, Divya, a resident of Bengaluru visited Hemalatha at the house in R.T. Nagar and revealed that she had also been deceived by Mahesh after marriage.

Without any further delay, Hemalatha filed a complaint with the Kuvempunagar Police and a case was registered on June 13 under IPC Sections 420 (cheating and dishonesty), 406 (criminal breach of trust), and 506 (criminal intimidation).

After arresting Mahesh, the Police confiscated two cars, seven mobile phones, Rs. 2 lakh in cash, as well as various stolen items such as a gold bracelet, two gold bangles, a necklace, and a gold ring.

A claim of reputation

Mahesh used to claim that he was a reputed doctor and his services were summoned from various parts of Karnataka and also from outside the State. He had a habit of keeping his women victims at houses in cities and towns and visiting them once or twice a month but regularly keep in touch over the phone.

Kuvempunagar Inspector L. Arun, Sub-Inspectors M. Radha, S.P. Gopal, ASI Nanjundaswamy, Constables M.P. Manjunath, Anand, Kuttappa, Hazarath, Suresh, and technicians Kumar were part of the investigation team.

Despite the exposure of several similar cases, it is disheartening to witness unscrupulous individuals continuing to deceive innocent women. Nevertheless, further investigations are underway, and stringent measures will be taken to ensure justice prevails. — Ramesh Banoth, City Police Commissioner, Mysuru