Mangaluru: Man arrested for cheating women across cities through matrimonial websites

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, Feb 11, 2026: A youth from Kavoor has been arrested for allegedly cheating several women across Mumbai, Udupi, Bengaluru and Karkala by befriending them through matrimonial websites, promising marriage, and fraudulently taking money from them.

The accused, identified as Sushanth Poojary alias Sushanth Ankush Poojary, also known as Sushanth G. Karkera (32), a native of Kavoor, was arrested by the Kavoor police. Another accused, Bhaskar, a resident of Mulki, who allegedly assisted Sushanth in arranging a marriage in Mumbai, has also been arrested.

According to police, Sushanth used matrimonial websites to contact women, gained their trust by promising marriage, and in some cases even went through wedding ceremonies. He allegedly married women in Mumbai and Udupi and collected money from them, while also cheating several others by taking money on the pretext of marriage.

In one case, a woman from Mumbai came into contact with Sushanth through a matrimonial website. He married her on February 2, 2025, in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra. After the marriage, he allegedly collected Rs 6.6 lakh from her in instalments and went missing on November 15. Suspicious, the woman later made inquiries and discovered that he had cheated several women in a similar manner in different cities.

Further investigation revealed that Sushanth was already married earlier. Based on the complaint filed by the Mumbai woman, a case was registered, and Sushanth was traced and arrested on February 5. During interrogation, he reportedly confessed to marrying a woman from Udupi in 2021 and cheating two women each in Udupi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru by promising marriage and taking money. He also admitted to cheating a woman in Karkala using the same modus operandi.

Sushanth has been produced before the court and remanded to judicial custody.

Police also stated that Bhaskar, a resident of Mulki, had helped Sushanth in arranging the marriage in Mumbai. Bhaskar allegedly introduced Sushanth as his brother-in-law to the woman’s family to gain their trust and even participated in religious marriage rituals on behalf of Sushanth’s family. He has also been arrested and produced before the court.

Police records show that multiple cases have already been registered against Sushanth Poojary in various police stations, including Urwa Police Station in Mangaluru, Kota Police Station in Udupi district, and Arnala Police Station in Maharashtra, under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the POCSO Act.