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MUMBAI: A 32-year-old engineer, struck by Cupid’s arrow when he first laid his eyes on a bar girl, is now nursing a broken heart and counting his losses.

Jaipur resident Harishkumar Sharma approached the police after the girl, Mulund resident Shobha Chavan, and her associates conned him out of Rs 59,000.

Sharma met Chavan last week during the latter’s visit to the Pink City. In his complaint to the police, Sharma said "One of Chavan’s friends introduced her to me. Chavan told me that she was an event organizer and that she was in Jaipur on business. I had always wanted to marry a Mumbai girl and fell for her glib talk."

It was only a matter of time before Sharma proposed to Chavan, who asked him to accompany her to Mumbai to seek her family’s permission. Overjoyed at the prospect of having found a suitable match, an unsuspecting Sharma agreed. "Sharma and Chavan reached Mumbai on September 17 and stayed in a lodge in Thane," said an investigating officer. "The next day, Chavan took Sharma to a lodge at Mulund check naka on the pretext of introducing him to her sister," the officer said. "A woman met the duo at the lodge and had a lengthy conversation with Sharma. At the end of their discussion, she asked Sharma for Rs 5,000, saying it was a family tradition for the would-be groom to give a token amount to seal the alliance."

A few hours later, Chavan asked Sharma to meet her brother and seek his approval. "The so-called brother asked Sharma about his qualifications, job and family. He told Sharma that he was impressed with his credentials and would be happy to marry his sister to him. The man then asked Sharma to give Rs 24,000 so that he could start preparing for the wedding," said the officer.

Pleased with himself at having won the hearts of Chavan’s family, Sharma didn’t suspect foul play. He was jolted out of his happy state when another man claiming to be Chavan’s younger brother landed at the Mulund lodge and threatened him at knifepoint. "He forced Sharma to accompany him to an ATM kiosk in the area and withdraw Rs 30,000. The man fled even before Sharma could raise an alarm."

Sharma rushed back to the lodge, only to find Chavan missing. It was then that he realized that the whole thing was a set up and that he had been conned.

Heartbroken but determined to take the culprits to task, Sharma approached the Mulund police and lodged a complaint. Deputy commissioner of police (Zone VII) Sanjay Shintre formed a team which included senior inspector Jivajirao Jadhav and inspector DJ Patil to track down Chavan. After making inquiries with lodge staffers and locals, the sleuths arrested Chavan from her home in Mulund.

Investigators are now searching for her three accomplices who posed as her siblings and conned Sharma. During interrogation, Chavan confessed to the crime. "She told us that the two men have criminal records and were arrested by the Mulund police few months ago for cheating and robbery," said the officer. "We are now trying to find if Chavan and her associated had conned any other men using a similar modus operandi."

32-year-old engineer ended up losing Rs 59,000 cash in Mulund (West) after he came down to Mumbai with a girl to give interview rounds with her family members before marrying her. Harishkumar Sharma was looted by Shobha Chavan’s (30) three accomplices who posed as her sister and brothers and robbed him at knife-point, said the Mulund police.

Sharma met Chavan in Jaipur last week when she was found touring the Jaipur city with her friends. Sharma learnt about the cheating very late after Chavan brought him to Mulund on September 17 on pretext of undergoing three interview rounds with her parents and kins before marrying here. "Sharma and Chavan reached Mumbai on September 17 and stayed in a Thane lodge. The next day the conwoman took Sharma to lodge to introduce her family members," the officer said.

Sharma without any suspicion got prepared for the interview rounds and accompanied Chavan to meet her younger sister (who is also a bar girl) at Shilpa Lodge in Check Naka, Mulund (west). Sharma, in his complaint, said "I befriended Chavan through one of her friend without knowing her background that she is a bar girl. I planned to marry a Mumbai girl and on seeing Chavan I got impressed. Chavan introduced herself as an event organizer and said her purpose of visit is to organize some event in Jaipur city."

"Sharma said he met a girl who claimed herself Chavan’s sister and after completing the interview round with her she demanded Rs5,000 as "part of a tradition". Few hours later she asked the victim to meet her elder brother and ends up paying another Rs 24,000," said Mulund police senior inspector Jivajirao Jadhav.

Sharma thought he is almost through with the interview rounds when the third person land up claiming as Chavan’s younger brother and threatened him at knife-point. "The accused took Sharma to an ATM centre in the locality at Mulund check naka and made him to withdraw Rs 30,000 and fled away with the money," said Jadhav.

Minutes later Chavan was found missing this raised suspicion and made Sharma to lodge complaint with the Mulund police. Based on the complaint, the deputy commissioner of police (Zone VII) Sanjay Shintre formed a team of Mulund police senior inspector Jivajirao Jadhav, inspector DJ Patil and team and arrested Chavan from her Mulund home.

Investigators are searching for Chavan’s three accomplices for aiding her in the crime. Chavan’s interrogation revealed that the two men is a record criminal and has been arrested by the Mulund police few months ago for cheating and robbery in the locality. Investigators are also getting details the number of victims’ that Chavan has robbed in the past with similar modus operandi.