The Dharmasala police detained a groom on the verge of contracting a second marriage, acting swiftly on a complaint lodged by his legally wedded first wife.
The incident unfolded at the Trinath Temple in Jaraka, located within Odisha’s Jajpur district. The groom, identified as Bibhudendu Padhi from Pattamundai in Kendrapada district, was all set to tie the knot with another woman when his first wife, Suchismita Panda, made a dramatic appearance alongside family members to halt the ceremony. Police immediately intervened and escorted Bibhudendu to the local police station for questioning and detention.
According to Suchismita—a resident of the Hi-Tech area in Bhubaneswar—the couple was traditionally wed under Hindu rituals on November 24, 2017, and shares an eight-year-old daughter. However, she stated that their marital harmony fractured over the past two years due to Bibhudendu’s alleged extramarital affair with a longtime girlfriend, noting that official divorce proceedings are still pending before the court.
Suchismita revealed that she rushed to the Dharmasala police after discovering her husband intended to bypass legal formalities and marry his partner while their marriage remained legally intact. She previously filed a formal complaint at the Mahila Police Station in Bhubaneswar in May 2025 concerning the alleged affair, which has already resulted in a filed chargesheet. Furthermore, she claimed that her husband’s family repeatedly ignored mandatory police counseling sessions.
“I want stringent action against my husband for ruining my life,” Suchismita expressed passionately. “We are not divorced yet, but he decided to marry his longtime girlfriend without following the legal procedure. I demand justice for myself and my daughter.”
Beyond the bigamy allegations, Suchismita raised grave concerns regarding deception before and during their marriage. She alleged that Bibhudendu’s family misrepresented his professional credentials by falsely claiming he was a qualified chartered accountant, whereas he had reportedly failed to clear his final-year examinations.
Additionally, she accused her in-laws of demanding dowry. Despite her father earning a modest living as a priest, he allegedly provided significant gold ornaments, including two gold chains, rings, and a bracelet, to meet their demands.
Authorities note that these auxiliary allegations are yet to be independently verified, and statements from Bibhudendu’s side were unavailable at the time of reporting. The Dharmasala police have launched a full-scale investigation into the matter, with further updates anticipated regarding the status of the pending matrimonial suit and the circumstances surrounding the aborted wedding.
