A person posing as a health care provider has been arrested after allegedly concentrating on and defrauding largely middle-aged and divorced ladies to marry them.

In response to India Right this moment, Bidhu Prakash Swain, 54, who used the alias Ramesh Swain, would contact the ladies on-line posing as a health care provider over relationship websites and social media. Then, after a couple of days of marriage, Swain would allegedly go away the ladies with their households beneath the guise of touring for work.

"His targets have been highly-educated and labored in senior positions at numerous authorities and personal organisations [sic]. He had his eyes on their cash," Bhubaneswar DCP Umashankar Sprint informed India Right this moment.

Norton, the anti-virus and safety firm, reported earlier this month that In response to the FTC, the reviews of romance-related on-line scams have almost tripled from 2016 to 2020 and reported whole greenback losses elevated greater than fourfold. In 2020 alone, "victims misplaced round $304 million from being swindled by their cyber sweetheart." The median amount of cash individuals despatched to romance scammers in 2020 was $2,500.

Norton stated some warning indicators of somebody establishing an internet rip-off can embrace claiming to stay distant, claiming to want cash and the tempo of the connection shifting quick.

"What lots of the largest reported greenback losses have in frequent is that folks consider their new accomplice has truly despatched them a big sum of cash," stated the report from the FTC. "Scammers declare to have despatched cash for a cooked-up cause, after which have an in depth story about why the cash must be despatched again to them or on to another person."

The FTC's report highlighted that present playing cards and wire transfers are essentially the most ceaselessly reported fee strategies for love scams and in 2020, reviews of present playing cards getting used to ship cash elevated by almost 70 p.c.

In response to India Right this moment, reviews confirmed that Swain is a father of 5 and was married for the primary time in 1982. Between 2002 and 2020, the outlet stated, he allegedly married a number of ladies.

Sad Wedding Ring
A person was arrested after it was discovered that he allegedly tricked and married 14 ladies throughout India. Right here, a inventory picture exhibits a distressed girl holding a marriage ring. Rattankun Thongbun/Getty Photos

Sprint informed India Right this moment that in July, one in every of Swain's wives filed the grievance that led to his arrest. In the course of the probe, it was found that he had allegedly tricked 13 different ladies he had met on-line.

"If wanted, an all-women crew might be fashioned for additional probe. Knowledgeable counsellor [sic] will even be included within the crew for counselling [sic] his victims," the DCP informed India Right this moment.

Police additionally recovered 11 ATM playing cards, 4 Aadhaar playing cards—identification playing cards issued by the Indian authorities—with totally different identities, and a faculty certificates beneath an extra id.

India Right this moment reported that it was not the primary bout of bother for Swain as he was beforehand arrested for "duping unemployed children on the pretext of offering jobs or securing admissions in MBBS programs," in addition to mortgage fraud.

Newsweek contacted the Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Police Commissionerate for remark.