Champion lover: Sonko Tijan was arrested by Austrian police who found he had no less than four wives, seven fiancées and five girlfriends

A prolific lover with four wives, seven fiancées and five girlfriends has set Austria's record for bigamy.

Sonko Tijan was finally caught in a honey trap at Vienna Airport after two of his wives realised they were married to the same man and complained to police.

The seducer had picked up women all across the country, using them for room and board whenever he was nearby and borrowing money from them which he never returned.

His downfall came after he met Sonja Maier, who believed she had found love at first sight when she was swept off her feet by Tijan after meeting him in a bar.

The 28-year-old from Gambia told her he felt the same, and after a whirlwind romance - and against the advice of her family - they were married a month later.

After a year of happy marriage she was pregnant and browsing Facebook when she happened across somebody with the same surname and a strikingly similar-looking husband.

Curious, the delved into the woman's profile. Then she realised this woman's husband was not only similar looking, but actually identical. The fact he had the same surname as her own spouse convinced her something was wrong.

'I thought that either he had a twin I never knew about or he was cheating on me,' she said.

Ms Maier got in touch with the woman to compare notes. Soon they realised that when he was with one of them, he was never with the other, and together they made a complaint to police after he vanished when they confronted him.

That complaint led to the unravelling of a web of intrigue that has so far revealed 16 different women all of whom believed they were in an exclusive relationship with Tijan, including three who were married to him.

The youngest of his women was 22, and the oldest 44; there is also another woman he is married to in his home country, where he also has children.

Tijan used the women to provide him with a place to stay and food whenever he was in the area, and also borrowed tens of thousands of euros promising to pay it back later. He never did.

Some also complained he had taken their jewellery to use as a security on loans he needed. And if a woman became too demanding on his time or for her money back, she suddenly found that he had vanished.

Living by his looks: Tijan used the women to provide him with a place to stay and food whenever he was in the area, and also borrowed tens of thousands of euros promising to pay it back later. He never did

Police have now found that he kept a network of women across Austria from the western state of Vorarleberg to the capital Vienna. As well as the 15 active lovers, they believe there were many others who he used, then dumped.

Winning smile: Police have also found four children Tijan has fathered with different women in Austria. Two of his current girlfriends were also pregnant

Police have also found four children Tijan has fathered with different women in Austra. Two of his current girlfriends were pregnant.

Detective Patrick Maierhofer, who has made an appeal for other women to come forward, said: 'He always used the same tactics. He would look at women in bars and was always charming and attentive.

'He would also fascinate them with fanciful stories about his homeland in Africa and how he had fled horrific wars leaving his family behind - and later he would ask for financial assistance for them.'

Tijan has also been accused of benefits fraud, using his women, children and fake names and photos of friends who were also black to claim thousands from the Austrian social services.

He once posted online that the Austrians could not tell the difference between black men anyway.

Vienna police spokesman Thomas Keiblinger said: 'He went under various names and we have released his picture at some of his names in the hope that we can contact other victims.

'They included the names Sonko Tijan, Bojang Tijan and Crang Junior.

'He claimed the money was for business ventures to help his family in Gambia. We have found that he is actually also married to a woman in Gambia where he also has a family.'

Police put out an arrest warrant for him and eventually tracked him down using Facebook after discovering he was on the hunt for fresh victims.

Officers arranged for a honey trap with the cooperation of a young woman he had been communicating with online to persuade her to lend him more money.