It could well be a story out of a crime thriller or Bollywood film where a woman enters into several marriages only to exploit her ‘husbands’ and extort money.

Balvinder Singh, a truck driver residing in Siraspur village in outer Delhi, has been doing the rounds of Rohini district courts with his minor son in arms trying to blow the lid off the bogus marriage racket his estranged wife Shalu is said to have been running.

Shalu alias Malkit Kaur has allegedly entered many marriages, deserted all her husbands, including Balvinder, and in some cases, children born out of the wedlock, landing one of her husbands in mental asylum.

Balvinder Singh has moved court seeking registration of FIR against Malkit Kaur alias Shalu and her relatives for cheating, criminal conspiracy, fraud and criminal intimidation after she deserted him and their minor son, who accompanies him to court.

Balvinder’s counsel Prashant Manchanda told the court that police did not bother to register FIR on his complaint and brought to the court’s attention the result of a personal investigation which revealed that Malkit had been married multiple times and deserted all her husbands with threats to extort money.

Manchanda also submitted that the police have not verified the status of earlier marriages.

“The IO is directed to verify the status of earlier marriages and file report by the next date of hearing,” ordered Metropolitan Magistrate Neha Gupta Singh.

She also directed the IO to remain present in the court on the next date, which is January 12.

Discovering the ugly truth

In his complaint before the court, Balvinder shared how Malkit’s relatives approached him for their marriage somewhere in November, 2011, and created a false image of the accused due to which he accepted the proposal.

In 2014, a son was born to them. Soon thereafter, Malkit’s behaviour changed and she started misbehaving with the complainant and his family, and even gave threats of implicating them in cases of dowry harassment, domestic violence etc in case her demand of Rs 10 lakh is not met. She then allegedly deserted the applicant and their infant child.

Balvinder’s efforts to bring her back home failed after which he conducted a personal investigation and discovered three other men who had fallen prey to Malkit’s nefarious designs.

When he confronted Malkit’s relatives, they told him brazenly that she would now be going to Uttar Pradesh to marry someone else.

Manchanda said the police did not bother to lodge an FIR when the complainant approached the SHO Samaypur Badli. He also approached the DCP concerned but his pleas fell on deaf ears.

“In view of the malevolent and pre-concerted maneuvers unleashed by the accused in defrauding extorting and harassing the complainant, it is most earnestly prayed that FIR U/S 494, 495, 420, 384, 387, 506 and 120B of Indian Penal Code, 1860 be lodged against the accused [email protected] Kaur, her family members and other unknown persons,” he said in the complaint to the court.

First husband in mental asylum, wife reopens case

Manchanda says, “The first husband named Surinder, who Malkit married in 2006, is now in mental asylum in Shahdara”. Malkit had a child from this marriage too.

In 2009, she reached a settlement with Surinder that she would take back the case of dowry harassment and will not demand maintenance only to dishonour the settlement.

Surinder, he said, had to be sent to the rehabilitative centre after he spent two years in jail in false cases filed by Malkit.

Surinder’s case came to light when Balvinder was personally investigating Malkit’s background after she deserted him.

Malkit allegedly married Sanju in 2008, followed by Jasvinder Singh. A son was born in this marriage in 2011 and is now with Sanju.

Eight years after reaching settlement with Surinder, Malkit has now reopened the case against him.

Machanda would now be representing Surinder as well.

However, his mental state to face trial and put up a defence is being assessed at IHBAS.

“Seeing her overtures and change in behavioral pattern, it is certain that her incessant trail of marriages will not come to a halt in future as well if she is allowed to continue unabated,” said advocate Manchanda who requested the court to direct the police to bust the bogus marriage racket, as he added that the four marriages that have come to light might be just the tip of the iceberg.