One held for marriage fraud

KOCHI: He is known by a dozen names and his main job is to lure girls into marriage. His attempt to dupe a family in Edakochi landed him in police net and exposed his modus operandi. The fraudster identified as G Mathew, 40, of Edassery Kuttiyil, Maniyar, Punnalur, was arrested by a Kochi city Shadow Police team based on an Intelligence input.According to the police, the accused was known in various names like Soman, Charles George, Soman Nair and Thomas Mathew. He has  married 10 girls from various parts of the state so far.The police said that the accused used to introduce himself to the parents of the girls as a gazetted officer of the Ordinance Factory. He used to carry fake identity cards and letter heads made in the name of the Ordinance Factory. His modus operandi was to respond to the matrimonial advertisements appearing in the leading dailies. He used to write letters describing himself as an eligible bachelor looking for a prospective bride.He was caught by a Shadow Police team led by Special Branch Assistant Commissioner M Shamsu Illikkal and Sub-Inspector Muhammed Nizar when he tried to exhort Rs 10,000 from the parents of the girl in Edakochi.The police said that the accused had duped many families in Perumbavoor and Muvattupuzha.