Orissa: A sexagenarian who in a span of 48 years allegedly married 14 women in seven states was arrested in Bhubaneswar on Monday, February 14. The accused identified as Prakash Swain aged 54 years hails from a village under Patkura police station in Odisha’s Kendrapara district.
His crime came to light when a teacher from Delhi in 2021 lodged a complaint against him where she claimed Swain married her at an Arya Samaj temple in New Delhi and took her to Orissa. Investigations report the accused fathered five children from his marriages in 1982 and 2002. On the modus operandi of the accused, Umashankar Das DCP said that middle-aged single women were the targets, mostly divorcees who sought companionship on matrimonial websites. Later, he would abandon them after acquiring their money.
He would identify himself as ‘deputy director general’ rank official in the Union Health Ministry, and marry highly qualified women. His first two wives were from Orissa and later he married several in Punjab, Delhi, Assam and Jharkhand. It is learnt that Swain would befriend other women through matrimonial websites and marry them without the knowledge of the other wives. His targets included doctors, nurses, teachers and even advocates from SC and a senior Central Armed Police Force who was duped of Rs 10 lakh.
The arrest was sought on the complaint filed by the teacher. He was arrested from rented accommodation in Orissa and booked under sections 498 (A), 419,468,471 and 494 of the IPC Bhubaneshwar DCP said. 11 ATM cards, 4 Aadhar cards with different identities and a Bihar school certificate with yet another identity was recovered from his possession.