Matrimonial scam busted: Fake 'Major' cons 25 women, marries 3

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A 32-year-old man from Telangana was arrested in Varanasi on Sunday for allegedly impersonating an army officer and defrauding more than 25 women through fake matrimonial profiles over six years, police said.

The accused, identified as Dayali Upaliya from Pedapalli district, swindled his victims of nearly Rs 40 lakh, according to Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Saravanan Thangamani.

The arrest followed a complaint by a woman residing under the Varanasi Commissionerate, who accused Upaliya of refusing to provide marriage documents after being in a relationship with him.

"She asked to legalise the marriage but he was not ready to give any documents," DCP Thangamani was quoted by ANI as saying.

During the raid, police recovered army uniforms, fake name plates bearing "Major Amit" and "Major Joseph," and materials used to forge identity cards. "We also obtained fake IDs mimicking the National Investigation Agency, Territorial Army and Jammu & Kashmir Police," said Thangamani, as reported by ANI.

Investigations revealed Upaliya had married three women while posing as an army officer.