A 42-year-old man is accused of deceiving a 56-year-old woman from Navi Mumbai, resulting in the loss of cash and jewellery valued at Rs 45 lakh, following their acquaintance on a social media platform, said the police on Wednesday.

The woman, a resident of Sanpada and mother of a son went through a separation from her husband in 2020. Subsequently, she connected with the accused, who hails from Cuffe Parade in Mumbai and is also married, through Facebook. Crucially, the accused did not disclose his marital status to the woman, revealed an official from the Sanpada police station.

Their friendship evolved into frequent visits by the accused to the woman’s residence, leading to their alleged marriage, according to the FIR. However, the accused’s behaviour took a dark turn as he purportedly began physically abusing and threatening the victim, even threatening her son. Furthermore, he is alleged to have extorted cash and gold jewellery, with a combined value of Rs 45 lakh, including Rs 36 lakh in cash, based on the woman’s complaint.

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Responding to the complaint, the Sanpada police registered a case against the accused under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 406 (criminal breach of trust), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 494 (marrying again during the lifetime of a spouse), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace), and 506 (criminal intimidation).

An ongoing investigation is underway to address the matter, as stated by the police official.

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