Odisha fake doctor having 14 wives held for duping them of lakhs

Bhubaneswar: The Twin City Commissionerate Police arrested a man having as many as 14 wives for allegedly duping them of lakhs of rupees by posing as a doctor.

The accused has been identified as Ramesh Chandra Swain (54) of Bhagabanpur in Kendrapara district.

Detailing about the offence at a presser here today, Bhubaneswar DCP Umashankar Dash said the accused, a father of five children, had married his first wife in 1982 and second wife in 2002. Between 2002 and 2020, he befriended other women through matrimonial websites and married them.

He used to target middle-aged women who sought companionship and acquire their money before abandoning them, the official said.

The accused used to identify himself as a doctor to establish his credibility. Lawyers, doctors and highly-educated women are among the victims.

A case has been registered against him at the Mahila police station under Sections 498 (A), 419, 468, 471 and 494 of the IPC.

According to police sources, a woman school teacher of Delhi had in July 2021 lodged a complaint with the Mahila police alleging that the accused married her in New Delhi in 2018 and later kept her in Bhubaneswar. She came to know about his multiple marriages and then sought the help of police.

On the basis of the complaint, police arrested him from a rented house in Khandagiri area in the city.

During probe, it was revealed that he had married a woman official of the Central Armed Police Forces in Punjab and taken Rs 10 lakh from her.

The accused will be forwarded to court while police will seek his remand for further probe.