T’puram: Vizhinjam Police arrested Sreejith, 32, of Neyyattinkara for allegedly posing as an Army officer, promising marriage and cheating a woman of Rs 3.93 lakh over a period of six months.Sreejith allegedly met the woman, a native of Vizhinjam, through Instagram in March. According to the police, he introduced himself as an Army official and shared photographs of himself wearing an Army uniform to convince the woman about his identity. After establishing a relationship with her, he allegedly promised to marry her.The police said Sreejith subsequently sought money from the woman on various pretexts and allegedly swindled a total of Rs 3.93 lakh from her between March and Sept. He also allegedly obtained the woman’s private photographs after assuring her that they would get married.The woman later became suspicious and approached the police, following which a complaint was registered and a probe was launched. The police traced the accused and arrested him.During questioning, the accused allegedly told the police that he had cheated around seven women in a similar manner in the past. The police said the claim is being verified, and further probe is under way to ascertain whether more women were targeted by him.The police are also examining the accused’s social media accounts and financial transactions to determine the extent of the alleged fraud and identify any other victims.The accused was produced before a court and remanded in judicial custody. The police said the investigation will focus on establishing how the accused approached the women, and whether the private photographs obtained from the victim were misused.
