MALAPPURAM: Accused who has been extorting gold from single women who passed their marriage age has been arrested. Abdul Nasser (44), alias Kingini Nasser, a resident of Malappuram Kuttipuram, was arrested. The police said that the method of the accused was to go to the houses of women who had passed the marriageable age under the pretext of marriage, get acquainted with them over the phone, extort gold ornaments from them and escape.

Nasser was arrested on a complaint that he stole a three-sovereign gold necklace from a native of Chokkad Maliyekkal and went absconding. The accused took the necklace on the promise of returning the 3-sovereign necklace as five sovereigns on the wedding day. According to the police, he has taken gold from many women in a similar manner, but fearing defamation, many do not go forward to file a complaint.

Apart from cheating the women to steal the jewellery, the accused has also cheated the institutions which help in recovering pledged gold. There are cases in Malappuram and Palakkad districts against the accused who has been jailed several times. He has three wives and nine children in Payyannur, Pattambi and Karuvarakundu. The accused was caught at his third wife's house in Karuvarakundu. The accused was produced in court and remanded.

Following the widespread fraud, the accused was arrested after a special investigation team was formed on the instructions of the district police chief. Vytheesh Pookottumpadam, TV Vinu and Rahul P Kunnath were in the special investigation team headed by Nilambur DYSP Saju K Abraham.