Tamil Nadu shocker: Man poses as IRS officer, gets married, flees with gold and Rs 27 lakh

CHENNAI: Police are searching for a man who posed as an Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer, married a woman, and later fled with 30 sovereigns of gold jewellery and Rs 27 lakh in cash at Pallavaram.

The victim, Gowri, 33, of Anakaputhur is a divorcee. Her father registered her details on a matrimonial website, seeking a suitable match for a second marriage.

Ramesh, 39, contacted Gowri over the phone and introduced himself as an IRS officer and claimed he was a deputy commissioner in the customs department in Chennai. Ramesh also told the family that he was an orphan. Believing him, Gowri's family agreed to the alliance, and the couple got married on June 6 last year. They have a baby boy.

On March 2, Ramesh reportedly told Gowri that he had to travel to Bengaluru and Allahabad to attend official meetings. But he did not return, even for their child's naming ceremony on Mar 8. When Gowri tried calling him, his phone was switched off, raising suspicion.

On making enquiries, Gowri found that he had made false claims. Ramesh had earlier claimed that he worked as an IAS officer in Assam and suffered a bullet injury to his leg during riots, which forced him to leave that position, and that he then cleared the IRS examination and joined the customs department.

Police said Ramesh took 30 sovereigns of gold jewellery from Gowri and 7 lakh from her relatives, saying he could purchase gold and mobile phones at discounted rates through the customs department. In addition, he reportedly collected around 20 lakh from several people by promising to secure govt jobs for them. He then disappeared.

Gowri lodged a complaint and the Sankar Nagar police are searching for Ramesh.