Calcutta, Sept, 23 :     Police arrested Sivananda Das on Thursday on charges of duping families of prospective brides of several lakhs of rupees. According to deputy commissioner of police, central, Raj Kanojia, the father of a girl, from whom Das had taken Rs 27,000 couple of days earlier, had lodged a complaint with the Taltala police station. Investigation revealed that the girl?s father, had advertised in a city newspaper for a groom. The father received a telephone call earlier this week from a person who claimed that he was a major in the India army. He told the girl?s father that his nephew, who worked in the US and was currently in Jamshedpur, would be at a central Calcutta hotel. The girl?s family went to visit Das at the hotel last Friday and was impressed by the suave, smart young man. They agreed to the match. Das told the girl?s family that he had lost his credit card. He asked for a loan of Rs 27,000. Moved by his plight and the prospect of a good match for their daughter, the girl?s family gave him the money in the evening. Since then, there was no trace of him. The family lodged a complaint with the Taltala police station on Sunday. The deputy commissioner, central, said Das was a mechanical engineer from Regional Engineering College Rourkela. ?He had been playing this trick for quite some time and has amassed a fortune. He scans through matrimonial columns of newspaper and selects his target. He has duped 20 families of prospective brides so far,?? Kanojia said.