Sarpanch In Odisha Arrested For 'Cheating' Woman Claiming To Be Wife

Bhubaneswar: Commissionerate Police today arrested the sarpanch of Mundipadar panchayat in Boudh district on charges of cheating a woman of Damana area in Bhubaneswar.

As per the complaint, the accused sarpanch Antaryami Sahoo married the woman in a temple seven years ago and had kept her in a rented house at Aurobinda Nagar Basti in Bhubaneswar since then. However, he allegedly left her in August.

It is also being alleged that Sahoo is married to another woman and his wife stays at Mundipadar village.

"After getting married seven years back, we were having a cordial relationship for four years. But after he became sarpanch three years back, disturbances cropped up between us and he started ignoring me," stated the complainant woman.

"Doubting his (Sahoo) intentions, I visited his village (Mundipadar) and heard that he had married another woman. But he continued visiting me in Bhubaneswar and also forced me to have physical relationship with him. Later, when he realized that I do not have any evidences against him, he stopped speaking to me since August," added the complainant.

Based on an FIR lodged at Chandrasekharpur Police Station in October, police had initiated an investigation in connection with the incident and arrested Sahoo. Further investigation is underway.