Indian police have arrested a 67-year-old conman who impersonated a doctor and allegedly married at least 27 women across the country before running off with their money.

Bibhu Prakash Swain, a stout, below-average looking man, had saved his "wives" contacts after the names of states in the country, eg: "Madam Delhi, and Madam Assam", among others, according to the places they stayed, said news reports.

The shocking thing about the fraud is the conman's victims were not uneducated or poor women. There were lawyers, doctors, professors, and even a paramilitary officer in the list.

Swain's scoured matrimonial websites posing a wealthy 50-something doctor, and preyed on women aged above 40, who were still single and grappling with societal pressures, or divorcees and widows.

After identifying the victims, Swain would sweet talk his way to gain their trust, saying that he was looking for "soulmates and true love". After spending days with his victims, he would then persuade them to lend his money, saying that his account had been frozen and he needed funds immediately.

Once he gets the money, Swain would disappear, only to resurface in another place, looking for another victim.

According to a report, Swain married women across 10 states, and had defrauded 13 banks in Kerala of more than RM41.8 million through forged credit cards since 2006.

During his crime spree, Swain assumed that his victims' circumstances as a single, widowed or divorced women in a conservative society would deter them from going to the police.

Following his arrest, police uncovered his multiple identities, bank accounts and plans for two more weddings this month, and next.

Good riddance indeed. Let's hope that the police will find enough evidence to put Swain behind bars for a long, long, time, so that no more gullible women will fall in his trap.


Source: Daily Mail, Hindustan Times
Photo source: Hindustan Times