Bhubaneswar: The Twin City Commissionerate Police arrested Rashmita Beura, sister of fake doctor Ramesh Chandra Swain who married 17 women and duped them of lakhs, over her alleged complicity in the offences, informed Bhubaneswar DCP Umashankar Dash today.

"The woman had identified herself as the sister of Ramesh before the victims in order to reinforce his identity and win their trust. She also told the women that her brother was a doctor," the DCP said.

"The complainants identified Ramesh's sister through video calls and told us that she was present during the wedding ceremony. We have asked them to provide us information about the gifts given by them to the accused," the police official said.

She will be forwarded to court and brought on remand for further investigation. Apart from the marriage-related offences, her involvement in other crimes committed by Ramesh will be probed, said Dash.

Her husband was asked to appear before police. However, it seems like he has absconded, the DCP said.

"Ramesh's remand period is ending today. Around 15 more complaints have been lodged against him, for which we will seek another remand of 7 days from the court," the police official added.

Notably, police had yesterday brought Rashmita to Bhubaneswar from Kendrapara for questioning.

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The Twin City Commissionerate Police had on February 14 arrested Swain. A father of five children, Swain 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 accused used to identify himself as a doctor to establish his credibility. Lawyers, doctors and highly-educated women are among the victims.

Also read-- Fake Odisha Doctor Dupes Man Of Rs 18 Lakh On Pretext Of Getting MBBS Seat For Son At AIIMS.

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.