Rajasthan man held for ‘fraudulently marrying’ several women

A 38-year-old man was held from Thakurganj area of Lucknow on Tuesday for allegedly marrying nine women fraudulently, said police. He was taken into police custody after the complaint of a woman who claimed to be his ‘ninth wife’.

A 38-year-old man from Rajasthan has been held in Lucknow after his wife alleged that he fraudulently married two other women, officials said on Wednesday.

During preliminary investigation, the accused admitted having married three women and the investigators were probing the possibility of other marriages, added the officer. (AFP File Photo)

“One Sameer Khan, accused of cheating several women, has been taken into custody. He is being interrogated and we have initiated an investigation into the matter,” officer-in-charge of Thakurganj police station Deepak Dubey said.

Thakurganj Police booked Khan on Tuesday for cheating and under relevant sections of the dowry act after the woman, who claimed to be his “ninth wife”, lodged a complaint.

Dubey added that Khan, however, said during the preliminary investigation that he is married to three women and that investigators were probing the possibility of other marriages.

The woman said in her complaint to the police that she met Khan, a resident of Chittorgarh district in Rajasthan, through an online matrimonial site. Khan moved to Lucknow after their marriage in 2016 and started living in a rented apartment with her.

Dubey said the woman called the police after she came to know about his two other marriages. She told them that she suspected him of having extra-marital affairs because he often had long conversations with unknown women over the phone.

The suspicion grew over a period of time, forcing the woman to probe further, he added.

Saleem was allegedly married to a woman called Neha before marrying this woman and had three children with her. The Lucknow woman said that Khan married another woman Yasmeen in February this year.

Yasmeen reportedly contacted the Lucknow woman on Facebook and told her about her marriage with Khan, Dubey said.

The Lucknow woman could not be contacted.

“She is very hurt after the incident and has shifted to a relative’s place,” one of her female relatives said.