BENGALURU: A 33-year-old man who posed as a US-based techie and falsely claimed to be associated with the erstwhile royal family of Mysuru has been arrested for cheating three women of Rs 40 lakh after promising to marry them.
Muttu K alias Vinay K alias Siddarth Urs alias Sandy, a resident of Lakshmipura in Bylakuppe of Mysuru district, was nabbed by cybercrime police from Whitefield division after a woman filed a complaint saying he had conned her of Rs 19 lakh. Police found he had cheated two more women of Rs 21 lakh.
“After befriending the woman, Muttu promised to marry her. A few months ago, he took Rs 3 lakh from her saying he had a medical emergency. After some days, Muttu returned Rs 5 lakh, asking her to keep the extra money. He did this to win her confidence. Later, he asked for Rs 20 lakh again and the woman transferred Rs 19 lakh,” police said.
Muttu would frequent posh hotels in Mysuru and make calls from his laptop using the WiFi in the lobby. He claimed he was working from home for his US employers. He claimed on different matrimonial sites that he was connected to the erstwhile royal family. His chat message with many women began with ‘I am Siddarth Urs’. He posted many pictures of Mysore Palace and some children in its backdrop, and told his victims he was among the kids.
DCP (Whitefield) D Devaraj said three cases have been registered against the accused in Bengaluru so far. “We have taken him into police custody for questioning,” he said, adding, “The accused downloaded innumerable photos of the erstwhile royal family from the internet. He would send some to women he befriended on matrimonial sites, saying he was in the photos.”
“The accused is married and has a five-year-old daughter. His wife seems to have no idea about his activities and thinks he earns by helping tourists visiting Mysuru,” the DCP said, adding Muttu was being arrested for the first time.
School dropout, tourist guide
Police said they are investigating if Muttu had cheated more women. A school dropout, he worked in different capacities, including as a travel guide. However, in 2019, Muttu came across the news of a woman losing money to a fraudster through a matrimonial site, an investigating officer said. “Via YouTube, Muttu learnt how to register on matrimonial sites. He succeeded in creating a profile in the name of Siddarth Urs. Introducing himself as a member of the erstwhile royal family, he claimed be a techie in the US,” he said.
