Krishnagiri: Police arrested a man on Wednesday on charges of cheating a Hosur lime vendor’s family of Rs 10 lakh and 25 sovereigns of gold jewellery after posing as a woman online and confining them to their home for four months.
The arrested man has been identified as N Sivasarathi, 27 of Krishnagiri. The SP added that Sivasarathi had told them that special exorcism rituals lasting four months were needed to secure Kubendran’s marriage and a purported Rs 100 crore inheritance.
“After drawing Kubendran into a fake romance, Sivasarathi visited the family claiming to be Priya’s brother,” said Krishnagiri district superintendent of police GS Anitha. He prevented the family from leaving home or meeting relatives and installed CCTV cameras to monitor them. Following Arul’s complaint, the Hosur town police registered a case and arrested Sivasarathi. He was remanded in judicial custody.
Travelling daily from Krishnagiri in rental cars, Sivasarathi staged rituals, feigned divine possession and induced the family to hand over 25 sovereigns of gold and mortgage their house for Rs 10 lakh. He later disappeared after giving them a box purportedly containing deeds of properties worth Rs 100 crore. Later, the family realised that the box contained only plain papers.