Man marries for second time for dowry and children deceiving first wife

By Sudha Deo,Bhardaha, (Saptari), Apr. 10: Police have arrested 39-year-old Shailesh Deo of Rajbiraj Municipality-2, Saptari for allegedly orchestrating a fraudulent marriage scheme involving dowry and the pursuit of children—with a consent of his girlfriend.

Deo is accused of deceiving two women: maintaining a relationship of girlfriend with one woman while legally marrying another woman, and subsequently denying the latter and their child’s rightful recognition. 

Following a formal complaint lodged by his wife, Preeti Deo, at the District Police Office, both Shailesh Deo and his alleged accomplice Mamata Kumari Chaudhary (girlfriend) were taken into custody for investigation.

According to Deputy Superintendent of Police and Spokesperson Jitendra Basnet, Chaudhary is the proprietor of Happyland Child Care in Itahari-5, Sunsari. Authorities revealed that Shailesh and Chaudhary had a love relationship that led to their marriage in May 2014, which was officially registered in Biratnagar in 2016. Meanwhile, Shailesh married Preeti in May 2016, with their union registered in January 2020 in Rajbiraj.

Despite the second marriage with Preeti, official documents list Chaudhary as Deo’s first wife. Preeti’s family alleges that the registration process was manipulated—falsely presenting the second wife (Preeti) as the first and first wife (Mamata as second wife).

Chaudhary, in her statement, acknowledged that she consented to Deo’s marriage with Preeti due to their inability to conceive within the first two years of their marriage. 

Mamata claimed the arrangement was made to beget a child. As a result, Preeti gave birth to a son in 2020, followed by Chaudhary’s own son in 2022.

Preeti’s family, however, maintains that their daughter was deceived and subjected to psychological abuse. Her mother, Rita Deo, stated, “Initially, our son-in-law used to visit frequently. We were unaware of his marriage to Chaudhary. It was only after their son was born and he stopped supporting Preeti and our grandson that we learned of the second marriage.”

Abandoned by both her husband and in-laws, Preeti has been forced to return to her parental home. “If he intended to keep her at her parents’ home, why marry her at all?” her mother asked. “He built a big house in Itahari for one wife and son, while the other wife and child are left in hardship. What kind of justice is this?” questioned Preeti's mother Rita. 

Rita Deo demanded maximum legal action against her son-in-law, accusing him of destroying her daughter's life through fraud and deception. She said that their family provided a dowry worth nearly Rs. 2 million, including Rs. 650,000 in cash, gold weighing 8 tola 8 ana, a motorcycle worth Rs. 350,000, and other household items. 

“Had we used that money elsewhere, my daughter could have lived a much better life. This deceitful marriage has ruined everything,” she said.

Human rights activist Ratna Tamang called the incident a gross social injustice and urged authorities to take immediate and strict action. 

“This is a clear case of exploitation. Deceiving a woman for dowry and progeny under the guise of love and marriage is a serious societal malaise that must be addressed without delay,” Tamang said.

The police arrested Deo and Chaudhary on March 31 from the Childcare Centre in Itahari following the bigamy complaint. The District Court of Saptari has approved two separate five-day extensions of their remand for further investigation.