Mahesh KB Nayak is sometimes a doctor, sometimes an engineer. In the last decade, this Bengaluru resident has married several women, only to disappear with their jewellery and money. Posing as a different kind of professional each time, he meticulously manipulated his victims, using multiple phones and even hiring actors to pose as his family during the sham weddings. Mahesh finally ran out of luck and was arrested on Sunday, July 9, following a complaint lodged by a woman he had deceived after he met her on a matrimonial website.
Police have been able to get in touch with 15 women who are/were married to Mahesh; however, they believe that the number could be much higher. Mahesh’s arrest came after a complaint was filed by a woman he had met on Shaadi.com in August 2022. They got married in January 2023, but Mahesh disappeared soon after, taking the victim’s money. Interestingly, despite his elaborate fraudulent activities, Mahesh never changed his name.
Mahesh, who has studied only up to Class 5, specifically targeted educated and financially independent women, many of whom were divorced or widowed. While some victims became suspicious of his behaviour and his poor English language skills and managed to escape, others were not so lucky. “He pretended to be an orphan but hired people to pose as his friends and distant relatives who would attend his weddings. Mahesh’s parents are alive and he has siblings as well, but he has not been in contact with them for several years,” a police official told TNM.
The official further elaborated that after the wedding Mahesh would spend only two to three days with his new wife before concocting a work emergency and absconding with her money, gold, and sometimes even gaining control of their properties. “Mahesh pretended to be a very busy doctor who was called for consultations and surgeries in different cities and states. He would say that he was called for an important surgery and prohibited his wives from contacting him, saying that he would call. He also kept his phone switched off the entire time and used different phones and numbers to call each of his wives,” the official explained. The official also said that Mahesh would visit his wives only for a day or two in a month and had children with some of them.
Mahesh Nayak at a couple of his weddings
In her complaint, the 45-year-old victim said that before the wedding Mahesh had shown her a house in Mysuru where he intended to establish his clinic. Subsequently, after they got married, Mahesh left, claiming that he had to perform a surgery. Upon returning, he demanded that she secure a loan of Rs 70 lakh to set up his clinic and threatened to kill her when she refused. Mahesh then absconded with Rs 15 lakh cash and more than 200 grams of gold without informing the victim. The victim maintained contact with Mahesh, who assured her that the cash and gold were in his possession. However, his phone was switched off after a few days. The victim decided to file a complaint after another woman from Bengaluru approached her and alleged that she was also conned by Mahesh.
An FIR was lodged against Mahesh on June 13, and he was arrested nearly a month later on July 9. Sub-Inspector Radha M from the Kuvempunagar police station told TNM that tracking down Mahesh proved to be a challenge since he consistently kept all his known phone numbers switched off. However, the police began their investigation by comparing all of Mahesh’s wedding pictures from over the years to identify any commonalities. During this process, they discovered an actor who had appeared in a few of the weddings. Based on the information provided by the actor, the police successfully located and arrested Mahesh. The officer also revealed that one of Mahesh’s initial victims had filed a complaint against him in 2013, but at that time the police were unable to locate him.
“He had a very luxurious lifestyle. He had two cars but did not own a house. He moved from hotel to hotel while absconding or would stay at one of his wives’ homes,” SI Radha said.
Mahesh is currently under judicial custody and has been charged with sections 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), 406 (criminal breach of trust), 506 (criminal intimidation), and 380 (theft) of the Indian Penal Code.