CHENNAI: The West Zone Cyber Crime wing of the Chennai police arrested a 33-year-old man for posing as a woman on a matrimonial website and cheating a city-based architect of over Rs 9.5 lakh.

The complainant, a 31-year-old from Tiruvallur, got acquainted with a profile under the name Aishwarya on the matrimonial website earlier this year. The user claimed to be an IRS officer.

In the initial days, the accused spun stories about training in Delhi and Mussoorie and sought money to buy appliances and then claimed that 'her' father died and sought money. Between April and August, the accused took over Rs 9.5 lakh by manipulating the complainant. He became suspicious when he couldn't contact the profile and realised he got conned.

After investigations, the cyber crime wing personnel found that the accused, Ramkumar Pandian (33) of Mudichur, has been indulging in matrimonial website fraud since 2024.

"He had created profiles on all matrimonial sites and spoke in a female voice in phone calls to convince the victims. When the victims insisted on video call, the accused would cite an IRS training period and avoid video calls," a police officer said.

Police investigations revealed that he was already involved in a similar case in Kotturpuram police station. He was produced before a magistrate and remanded in judicial custody.