Odisha man held for marrying 14 women in 7 states; 11 ATM cards, 4 Aadhaar cards seized

A sexagenarian who in a span of 48 years allegedly married 14 women in seven states was arrested in Bhubaneswar on Monday, February 14. The arrested man hails from a village under Patkura police station in Odisha's Kendrapara district. It is learned that he took money from these women before fleeing, however, he has denied the charges.

The accused first married in 1982 and then in 2002. Bhubaneswar Deputy Commissioner of Police Umashankar Dash said that the accused fathered five children from these two marriages. The Police further mentioned that he befriended other women through matrimonial websites and married them without the knowledge of the other wives, between 2002 and 2020. 

His last wife, who is a school teacher in Delhi, came to know of his earlier marriages and lodged a complaint with the police.

Police have seized 11 ATM cards, four Aadhaar cards, and other documents from his possession. It is further learned that the man was earlier arrested twice for cheating unemployed youths and loan fraud in Hyderabad and Ernakulam.

Odisha man arrested for marrying 14 women in 7 states

The accused was staying in Odisha and was arrested from his rented accommodation. On the modus operandi of the accused, the DCP said that middle-aged single women were the targets, mostly divorcees who sought companionship on matrimonial websites. Later, he would abandon them after acquiring their money.

He would identify himself as a doctor and married working women including lawyers, physicians, and even a para-military force woman, Dash said. His first two wives were from Odisha and he has married women from other states including Delhi, Punjab, Assam, and Jharkhand.

The DCP informed that the matter came to light when the school teacher lodged a complaint with the Mahila police in July 2021 claiming that the accused married her in 2018 in New Delhi and took her to Bhubaneswar. The police arrested the man based on the school teacher's complaint. 

(With PTI input)

(Image: PTI)