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CHENNAI: A 53-year-old divorcee who got hitched to a woman he met on a matrimonial website found that he had been taken for a ride less than a month after the wedding. Police have launched a hunt for the 36-year-old woman who went missing from his house along with Rs80,000 in cash and four sovereigns of gold jewellery on May 26.

Police said Venkatraman, a resident of Villivakkam , called up his wife Ramanamma after she disappeared with the cash and jewellery. She claimed that she had left for her hometown in Andhra Pradesh as she felt homesick.

Venkatraman told the police that he initially didn’t ask her about the stolen valuables but realised he had been conned when she stopped talking to him.

When he questioned her about the cash and gold, Ramanamma admitted to having stolen it from the safe in his house. She subsequently switched off her mobile phone, following which Venkatraman lodged a complaint with police.

Investigations revealed that Venkatraman had divorced his first wife Susila a few months ago after 18 years of marriage. The couple was childless.

Later, he registered on a matrimonial website through which Ramanamma approached him, claiming to be an orphan. Police said Venkatraman fell for her story and decided to marry her soon after. They got married at the Kaliamman temple in Villivakkam on May 2 after arranging for all the wedding expenses.

The woman then moved into Venkatraman’s house and escaped with the cash and gold just 24 days after they were married. Based on Venkatraman’s complaint, the Villivakkam police registered a case and began an investigation.

