Thiruvananthapuram: A woman in Kerala who duped several men by marrying them and decamping with the gold they offered her has finally landed in jail.
The 30-year-old woman identified as Reshma is currently cooling her heels in Thiruvananthapuram women’s prison.
According to preliminary investigations carried out by police, the woman had `married’ at least seven or eight men over the past several years. She has been in this fraudulent marriage business since 2014. But her luck ran out in the latest episode, which took place last week.
Reshma, who is a resident of Kochi, attempted to deceive a local panchayat member in the suburbs of Thiruvananthapuram on June 6. As per plan, she arrived in Thiruvananthapuram on June 5 and stayed at the home of the panchayat member’s friend.
However, her behaviour raised suspicions in the household, and a person alerted the panchayat member.
Subsequently, they discreetly checked her handbag while she was getting decked up for the marriage ceremony at a beauty parlour. On finding documents related to her previous marriage in her handbag, they informed the police, and she was taken into custody.
The complaint claimed that he suffered a loss of Rs 7.5 lakh, which was spent on wedding preparations.
During questioning, the police found that she had been on a cheating spree for the last many years.
According to police reports, Reshma targeted young men who had registered on online matrimonial sites. She claimed to be an adopted daughter and told her potential grooms that her adoptive mother regularly harassed her and was completely against her marrying. Many men, moved by her `sob story’, were persuaded to marry her and even offered to cover all the wedding expenses. Just days after the marriage, Reshma would concoct various excuses to leave the house. She would tell the grooms that she needed to go back home to collect her certificates or some other items.
The police have launched an extensive probe to find out how many men the woman had duped in this manner. The preliminary investigations have revealed that the woman has been married at least eight times.
