A sexagenarian man from Odisha, who assumed fake identity of a doctor, was found to have married as many as 14 women across the country while money defrauded by him ran into crores of rupees.
Investigators were left stunned after stumbling upon the long list of cheats committed by the man. Most of those who fell into the trap of the man were highly placed working women.
The trickster, identified as Ramesh Chandra Swain, who posed as a senior officer in Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in names such as Bidhu Prakash Swain and Ramani Ranjan Swain, hails from Kendrapara district.
The man told investigators that he studied paramedical and laboratory technology in a Cochin-based institute and later did graduation in alternative system of medicine from Kolkata.
“All his claims are subjected to investigation. The swiftness at which the man managed to deceive people and fleece money, it is difficult to believe what he is uttering now is true. We would seek his remand and verify his claims,” said Umashankar Dash, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Bhubaneswar.
His marital life began in 1982 when he first married in Odisha. The man claimed that three sons from his first marriage are practicing doctors. Two decades later, Swain tied nuptial knot for the second time. This time, he managed to convince a doctor who is presently servicing as Chief Medical Officer in a corporate house.
“Between 2002 and 2019, the con man went on to marry 12 more women mostly middle-aged and single who were seeking companionship. The only intention of the man was to cheat money from these working women. The moment women started suspecting him, he would flee the spot,” said the DCP.
“In 2018, he married to woman, a top official in a Central Armed Police Force in Punjab. He swindled ₹10 lakh from the woman. And the man also cheated ₹11 lakh to the Gurudwara, where his marriage was solemnized. He had assured the Gurudwara committee that he would secure permission for establishment of a medical college,” said Mr. Dash.
Other women duped by the man included an advocate in Delhi High Court and three teachers. Keeping the social status in mind, most of the women were reluctant to be part of the case. However, Bhubaneswar police has contacted 10 women and obtained their statements.
“The last woman he married to is living in Tezpur in Assam. The modus operandi is simple. He used to post his profile as a doctor seeking marriage in matrimonial site. The man was generating a number of fake documents in support of his identity. Sometime he would pose with red beacon on car to identify him as a very senior government officer,” said Sanjiv Satpathy, one of the investigators.
Mr. Satpathy said, “though he was born in 1956, he would always give 1971 as his year of birth. From his WhatsApp chats, we got to know that he was in touch with many more women.”
Police seized 11 ATM cards, four Aadhaar cards and a copy of school certificate from Bihar. The Bhubaneswar DCP advised people not to blindly believe profiles posted on different matrimonial sites for marriage.
Apart from marrying women, the man had a history of financial fraud. He was arrested by Kerala police in 2006 when he deceived 13 banks in Ernakulam. He had then posed himself as a top-ranked officer in Health Ministry and availed loan to the tune of ₹1 crore. Subsequently he was arrested in Hyderabad in 2010 for defrauding ₹2 crore. He had collected the amount by assuring parents to provide MBBS seats to their wards.
