Couple fakes divorce to dupe senior citizen into marriage with the woman

Couple fakes divorce to dupe senior citizen into marriage with the woman

Pune: A 64-year-old retired school supervisor has lodged an FIR with Pune city police alleging that a 36-year-old woman and her husband faked their divorce to allow her to marry him and then robbed him of money and two flats and then threw him out. They had also lodged two fake complaints of harassment against him. 

The man Gandhi (other details with held) who is resident of Narayangaon, is a widower. His wife had died in 2016. His son is an IT engineer and resides in Bangalore with his family, while daughter is married in Narayangaon. He also owned a flat and a room in Dhankawadi. 

Based on Gandhi's complaint, Sahakarnagar police station has booked Savita alias Kavita alias Yogita Munawat (36), her husband Raju Munawat (47), both residents of Mangdewadi, lawyer D P Pawar (50) of Bibvewadi, notary Vasant Parakh (54) of Salisbury Park, Shankar Navpute (57), owner of Samarth Xerox centre in Bibvewadi, and Rajendra Dhamale (34), owner of Haridwar Marriage Bureau, Sadhu Vaswani chowk. 

How they met ?
Between July and October last year, Gandhi used to go to Yash Lawns in Market Yard for hearing religious discourse. He had become friends with Kisan Chordiya (77) of Market Yard, who suggested Gandhi about second marriage to get a life partner. Gandhi told him that he will think and revert. After few days, Gandhi made-up his mind to re-marry. Chordiya gave him number of Yogita saying that she is fed up of her husband who ill treats her and she wants to divorce him. Gandhi spoke with Yogita and went to meet her at her house in Mangdewadi in September. They discussed of divorce and remarriage. He also met her son and daughter, aged 12 and 13 years respectively.

The children were to stay with her husband. After few days, she again called him to her house where Gandhi met her husband Raju and they decided about divorce and marriage. 

Wedding bells 
The couple took him to advocate Pawar who quoted Rs 75,000 as various charges. Gandhi broke his fixed deposit and paid Rs 45,000 and remaining was to be paid after marriage. The lawyer prepared divorce papers and asked photocopy shop owner to get the last page which had been notarised by Parakh and kept at his shop. The photos of Yogita and Raju were pasted and then signed, the lawyer told Gandhi that they have been divorced. After that Gandhi was taken to the marriage bureau where without any document, a priest performed some rituals and said that they are married on October 13, 2017. A photo of Yogita with Gandhi was also clicked. They went to collect the divorce papers at the lawyer's office where some of Gandhi's relatives including his son-in-law reached and objected to the marriage. Gandhi went with them only to return to Yogita after days. He stayed with Yogita, Raju and their children at their Mangdewadi house. She got the number of Gandhi's tenant and called him to vacate the flat in Dhankawadi. The tenant was out of station and asked for sometime. However, on the very next day Raju and Yogita went to the flat located behind Parmar Hospital and broke open the flat. They also put another lock.

When the tenant returned, they made him vacate the flat. They also got possession of the adjacent room after expelling the tenant there. They broke the common wall to made passage between the flat and the room. 

Ordeal begins
Gandhi, Yogita and her husband and children were staying together. “They took Rs 20,000 for buying household things. But started abusing me frequently. I stayed there for a week and left. I also complained to Chordiya who tried to counsel Munawats but they abused and beat me with chappal (slipper). She also filed a false complaint against me with Market Yard police station. They had also taken seven gram gold ring worth Rs 17,500, fixed deposit receipts, driving license and other documents. As I had gone to stay in Narayangaon, Yogita used to call me repeatedly on phone asking to me stay with her. She threatened to lodge rape case against me if I didnt return. After that I came back. In January this year, when I asked them about the documents, the couple and their minor children brutally beat me up and threw me out of my flat”, Gandhi recalled his ordeal. 

After being supported by his relatives, Gandhi approached police and lodged the FIR. Cops have charged the accused persons for offences like cheating, assault, forgery, criminal intimidation, theft, criminal conspiracy as well section 496 (marriage ceremony fraudulently gone through without lawful marriage) of the Indian Penal Code. 

Assistant Police Inspector C M More is further investigating the case. 

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