Mumbai: Man posing as widower on matrimonial site marries woman, flees with jewellery

The victim chose Naik who is from her community. Representation pic

The Dindoshi police are searching for an accused who befriended a widow on a matrimonial site by posing as a widower and then allegedly fled with her jewellery worth more than Rs 17 lakh just a couple of months after their marriage. According to police sources, the accused, identified as Parmod Naik, 51, was allegedly working as a financial head in an event company. He befriended the 50-year-old complainant, a widow, on a matrimonial site last year.

The complainant lost her first husband in an accident in 2008 and had been living in Vile Parle, supported by her 28-year-old daughter. After dedicating herself to raising and educating her daughter, she finally arranged her daughter's marriage in December 2024. Concerned about being left alone after the wedding, her daughter and relatives encouraged her to remarry and helped register her profile on a matrimonial site.

The complainant received proposals from several widowers of different castes and religions but ultimately chose Naik, as he belonged to her community. According to his profile, Naik claimed that his wife and daughter had died during the COVID-19 pandemic, that he was living alone, and that he held a high-ranking position as a financial head in a private event company. With her family's approval, the complainant married him in November at a temple in Goregaon. The couple then shifted to Malad East.

"Last week, when she woke up, she found her husband missing. His phone was switched off, and when she searched the house, she discovered that jewellery worth R17.15 lakh, which had been kept in the cupboard, was also missing. Panicked, she informed her daughter and other relatives," said a police officer. "She went to Naik's office in the Mindspace area, Malad West, only to find that he had not reported to work for a couple of months. Later she discovered that he had embezzled lakhs of rupees from the company," the police officer said.

"She was then told by the office staff that several other women had also visited the office looking for him, suggesting that they too may have been deceived. The complainant finally approached the Dindoshi police station and filed a complaint," said the officer. "The accused's phone remains switched off. Investigations so far suggest that he specifically targets widows, deceives them, and then absconds. The full extent of his crimes and the number of women he has cheated will only be known after his arrest," the officer added. A case has been registered under Sections 305(a) and 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Further investigation is underway.