Rajesh Prithvi

CHENNAI: A class seven dropout claiming to be an encounter specialist who had gunned down two dreaded criminals set up a telemarketing firm in Chennai and used it to marry seven women and sexually abuse six others over the last two years. Chennai police who sent Tirupur resident Rajesh Prithvi, 42, to jail on Sunday said that he may have preyed on many more women as there were at least six other cases of polygamy against him in Trichy, Coimbatore, Tirupur, Tirupati and Kalahasti.

The man set up a telemarketing firm on Nelson Manickam Road in Chennai in 2017 and used it as a front to pursue women.

He wooed women showing them photos of him in police uniform and telling them he had quit the uniformed force after the encounters.

On June 30, parents of an 18-year-old filed a complaint with the Egmore police that their daughter, who was one of 22 women employed at Rajesh’s firm, was missing.

Initial police investigation revealed that Rajesh had kidnapped her. While her parents filed a habeas corpus petition in the Madras High Court, police traced her to Nochipalayam in Tirupur on September 9 and rescued her. She told police that Rajesh Prithvi had married her.

A few days later, Rajesh turned up at the girl's house and kicked up a row asking her to leave with him – that’s when the police arrested him and the whole story came to light.

Police said Rajesh used his telemarketing firm and swindled Rs30 lakh from various people promising to get their children medical seats. He appointed 22 women in the firm including the victim as telecallers. He sexually abused six of them at the workplace and married seven of them.

"He used the money he received by running the fake firm to spend on women he married," said joint commissioner R Sudhakar.

He obtained fake Aadhar card, pan card, voter identity card and driving licence in the name of Rajesh Prithvi while his original name is Dinesh.

“He was once arrested in Nellore from where he escaped from police custody at Coimbatore railway station. He shifted to different places after coming out on bail,” said Egmore police inspector Settu.

Police said that he also sexually abused women he hired from a housemaid consultancy firm on the pretext of giving them house-keeping jobs.

He had been using different names like Sri Ram Guru Deena, Dayalan, Deena Dayalan and Rejesh Perumal.

A sub-inspector's uniform, fake identity card, a pair of handcuff, PAN and Aadhar card were recovered from him.

Police expect that more complaints would pour in over the coming days..

(The victim's identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme Court directives on cases related to sexual assault)

