Ahmedabad driver accused of tricking married woman into nikah, exploiting her across cities

A driver employed at a hospital in Bharuch has been accused of deceiving a married Hindu woman by posing as unmarried, performing a nikah with her, and subsequently exploiting her in multiple cities before abandoning her.

The accused, a resident of Maktampura in Ahmedabad, worked as a driver for a doctor at a central Bharuch hospital. The Hindu woman, belonging to a Scheduled Caste, was employed at the hospital’s medical store. According to the complaint, the two became acquainted in March 2023. The man allegedly misrepresented himself as a bachelor, gaining her trust and initiating a relationship with the woman. 

According to her police complaint, the woman—who is separated but not legally divorced from her husband, with whom she has a child—was later taken by the accused to Ahmedabad, where he performed a nikah ceremony with her. Following this, the two reportedly stayed at hotels in Vadodara and Ajmer, where the woman said she was sexually exploited.

Accused found to be married with two children

The woman later discovered that the man was already married and the father of two children. When confronted, he allegedly resigned from his job and went missing. With his phone switched off and no way to contact him, the woman filed an application at Bharuch A Division police station on October 7, seeking legal action.

Police traced and detained the accused, who allegedly gave a verbal assurance that he would “accept and take responsibility” for the woman. Based on this assurance, he was released. However, the woman later informed the police that she no longer wished to pursue the case.

Driver also accused of swindling ₹5 lakh 

According to police sources, the woman’s estranged husband had earlier provided her ₹5 lakh as interim maintenance. She alleged that this amount, too, was gradually taken by the accused.

Legally complex situation

The situation is complicated, legally, because the woman was still married under Hindu law when she allegedly entered into a nikah with the driver, who was himself already married with children. While Hindu law prohibits polygamy for women, Muslim personal law allows men to have multiple wives. This makes the case complex, as it involves overlapping personal laws, issues of consent, deception, fraud, and potential exploitation, rather than straightforward bigamy on both sides.

Police handling of inquiry raises questions 

Despite the seriousness of the allegations, police initially only accepted her written application and began an inquiry rather than registering a First Information Report (FIR).

Police Inspector R M Vasava of Bharuch A Division police station said, “Recently, the woman filed a written complaint containing serious allegations. When the accused was brought in for questioning, the truth was revealed. However, since both parties reached a verbal settlement, an entry was made in the police station diary and the accused was released.”

The police have said that the case remains under inquiry. However, the decision to release the accused based on a verbal settlement has raised questions about procedural handling in cases involving coercion, deception, and alleged exploitation.