Serial marriage fraudster caught for rape in Kerala, thanks to social media friendship between duped victims

Pathanamthitta (Kerala): A man who had previously deceived three women through marriage fraud in Kerala has now been caught by the police following a complaint of rape from his fourth wife who received information about him from his second wife who happened to be her Facebook friend.

The fraudster was trapped after the woman from Alappuzha, whom he met on Facebook and later married, filed the complaint.

Police said on Tuesday that the accused Deepu Philip (36), a native of Vellarikundu in Kasaragod district, and a resident of Pramadam in this district, was arrested after an extensive investigation by the Konni police.

The investigation revealed that he had sexually assaulted the woman between March 1, 2022, and February 7 of this year, they said.

Deepu's fraudulent activities began a decade ago when he married a woman from Vellarikundu, Kasaragod. After acquiring her gold jewelry and money, he abandoned her along with their two children.

Later, he fled to Tamil Nadu with another woman from Kasaragod and lived with her for some time before disappearing. He then moved to Ernakulam, where he got close to another woman and lived with her for a while.

Eventually, he met the woman from Alappuzha through Facebook, built a relationship with her, and later married her in Arthunkal.

According to police, a cunning Deepu, whenever he meets a woman, always begins by saying that he is an orphan.

"He emotionally convinces them that if he gets married, he will have a life of his own and that it will ease the pain of loneliness. He manipulates them into believing this and traps them in his web.

"Once in a relationship, he lives with them and takes advantage of them sexually. However, as his interest fades he moves on to find his next victim. This is how he deceived three women in the past," a police officer said.

He said the truth about his fraud came to light because the woman he was currently married to and living with grew suspicious of him.

Deepu's second wife happened to be a Facebook friend of his current wife. It was the information she provided ultimately exposed the fraudster’s deception, police said.

When Deepu received an insurance payout of Rs 3.5 lakh related to a past vehicle accident case, he seemed to lose interest in his current wife.

As he attempted to abandon her, she became suspicious and approached the Konni police with a complaint.

Based on the complaint filed on Saturday, the police registered a case and, after initial proceedings, took the accused into custody from the Pathanamthitta area. He was arrested around 2 am on Monday.

Following a medical examination and the collection of evidence, the police recorded his confession. The statement of the woman was also recorded at the Pathanamthitta JFM Court-II.

The investigation revealed that the accused had taken the woman to places like Vellarikundu, and Thiruvananthapuram, where he sexually assaulted her, police said.

Following the directive of the District Police Chief an intensified investigation was conducted leading to the swift arrest of the marriage fraudster within hours.

A team led by Konni Police Inspector P Sreejith apprehended the accused.

He was then produced before the court and remanded into custody, police added.