A 29-year-old suspect was arrested in Faridabad for impersonating senior government officials by using various names to marry women after approaching them through matrimonial sites, said police on Thursday.
Investigators said the suspect was identified as Somdutt Kaushik, originally from Jurhera village in Chhainsa, Faridabad. He was arrested from his residence on Tuesday and was taken on three-day police remand for detailed interrogation after production before a Faridabad on Wednesday.
Inspector Prehlad Singh, station house officer (SHO) of Surajkund police station, said that the suspect had married more than 19 women in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and other areas in the last five to six years. “However, only three women in Faridabad, Noida and Ghaziabad have got FIRs registered against him in the respective cities,” he said.
Singh said that the woman from Faridabad is 24 years old and lives in Green Field colony.
Kaushik had created a profile by name of Rakshit Sharma on a matrimonial site in 2022 and identified himself as a GST inspector of Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs. He eventually befriended the woman.
“Kaushik married her in December 2024. He duped the woman and her family of at least ₹25 lakh of which ₹15 lakh was spent on purchasing a new car as a gift for him at the wedding. He had even taken people to her residence in August last year who had impersonated his parents and relatives for finalising the wedding,” Singh said, adding that he was an online gambling addict and used up all the remaining cash in gambling.
Investigators said that Kaushik never took the woman to his residence after their marriage which raised suspicion. The woman went through his phone and found photos and chats of various women with whom Kaushik interacted using his fake identities. After getting to know about his false identities and previous marriages, the woman approached the police. Kaushik was booked at Women’s (NIT) police station for cheating and forgery in March this year,” he said.
Investigators said that Kaushik was arrested soon after getting booked in March and had come out on bail two months back.
Police said that the after the victim’s statements, permission for reinvestigation was sought from court on directions of senior officials and Kaushik was arrested again on rape charges this time for a thorough inquiry in the case.
Investigators said that Kaushik was involved in the forgeries for the last five years but most of the victims did not approached police, fearing social stigma. After further investigation, it will be clear if his family members were also involved or whether he paid others to impersonate his relatives to approach a girl’s family.