HYDERABAD: A fraudster who posed as a major in the Indian Army, duped 17 women by promising to marry them and collected Rs 6.6 crore in dowry. He was arrested from his house by the Hyderabad police on Saturday. Using the money, the man had bought himself a house and three cars, including a Mercedes Benz.
Hyderabad police commissioner Anjani Kumar said M Srinu Naik, a native of Prakasam district in Andhra Pradesh, got married to a superintendent in DM&HO office, Guntur, in 2002 . In 2014, he migrated to Hyderabad.
He first informed his family that he became a major in the Army. He obtained an Aadhaar card with a date of birth of August 27, 1986, instead of 1979, which is his actual year of birth.
“He procured a fake Army ID card in the name of M S Chauhan, purchased an Army uniform, caps, shoes, insignia, toy pistols, among other things. He dressed in the military fatigues and took photographs. Later, he posted the photos on social media,” the police chief said.
He also obtained fake education certificate of M Tech from a university in Meghalaya.
He used to collect information from marriage consultancies or from his friends and trap prospective brides impersonating as a major in the Indian Army. To make them believe, he would show fake Army ID and photos.
Until recently, he met 17 families and impressed them. The women had given their consent to marry him and he collected dowry from their families.
“With the Rs 6.6 crore dowry, he bought a house, a Mercedes Benz car, Mahendra Thar jeep and a Fortuner,’’ Anjani Kumar said.
Police said the accused was supposed to get engaged on Friday, but he was nabbed after they got a complaint from one of his victims. Rachakonda police registered two different cases apart from the case by Hyderabad police. Until police nabbed him, most of the brides besides his wife were unaware that he conned them as a major in the Indian Army.