Marriage portal cheat arrested

The domestic airport police arrested a 36-year-old man for allegedly robbing a 30-year-old woman after meeting her on the pretext of marriage. Firoz Shaikh, the accused, met women through matrimonial websites and robbed them after arranging to meet with them to discuss marriage, the police said. The accused has cases registered against him in Ghatkopar and Nagpur police station also, sources said.

According to police officials, Shaikh used to approach divorcees and widows through two prominent matrimonial websites. In the most recent case, he contacted a Madhya Pradesh-based woman and identified himself as a pilot working for a private airline and a resident of Mumbai. Later, he asked the woman to visit him in Mumbai.

The woman landed at the Mumbai domestic airport on August 27 and Shaikh accommodated her in a hotel near the airport.

On the evening of August 27, the accused took the woman to a coffee shop and gave an excuse that he was unwell and needed medicines, police sources said. Following this Shaikh returned to the hotel alone and escaped with the woman’s baggage, money, mobile phone and laptop. After realising that she had been cheated, the woman immediately lodged a police complaint.

“We were tracing his mobile location and based on it we discovered that Shaikh was in Meghwadi area late on Tuesday evening. Our officials laid a trap in the area and arrested him,” said a senior official from airport police station.