Mangaluru: The Mangaluru City police have arrested a person who posed as a prospective customer and cheated several city caterers The arrested person is Rajesh Rao , 45, who would pose as a businessman and place big orders with caterers. After sometime, he used to come back and ask for money, saying he will pay later, along with the catering bills.According to police, Rajesh had come to a caterer in Haleynagadi on Friday afternoon. After arriving at his office, he started his conversation about various orders. However, the catering company owner was present at the spot, and was aware about Rao’s past misdeeds. As a result, he made him sit at the office and alerted other caterers who got conned by him, of being there. Rao was later handed over to the police.Explaining his modus operandi, police said Rao, who speaks fluent English, Hindi and other languages, used to dress well and visit several caterers in city. After visiting them, he would introduce himself as a businessman and expressed his wish to place a big catering order. After finalising the order, he would go back and return after sometime. On returning, he would give excuses like he has misplaced his ATM card or forgot the same, and demand money, claiming he will return it along with the order amount. The owners, who believed that he is a genuine person, looking at his attire and the way he spoke, lent him money, but he never returned it. In such a way, he continued to cheat many people in and around Mangaluru.Caterers who got conned by him, had cautioned about Rao in their Whatsapp groups, and he landed in the police net on Friday.A case has been registered at the Mulki police station in this regard.

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