LUCKNOW: A woman from Hardoi, central Uttar Pradesh, identified her husband, who had been missing since 2018, through a social media reel.
However, the joy of identifying her husband was short-lived for the woman named Sheelu, as the man was posing with another woman as her husband.
Jitendra had left home, leaving behind a newborn son. A dowry harassment complaint was also registered against him. While his family accused Sheelu's relatives of being involved in his disappearance, she lived for years with the uncertainty, raising their son alone.
Acting on this input, the police began an inquiry into the matter. They traced the 32-year-old man, Jitendra Kumar alias Babloo, to Ludhiana, where he had allegedly remarried. He was later taken into custody.
The police authorities said that Sheelu, the first wife of Jitendra Kumar, filed a complaint, and a case was registered against him under Section 82(1) (bigamy) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at Sandila police station.
She accused her husband of faking his disappearance, remarrying.
She also accused his family of concealing the truth of his presence in Ludhiana from her.
“During the inquiry, it was found that Jitendra had married another woman in Ludhiana. He has been taken into custody,” said Santosh Kumar Singh, Circle Officer, Hardoi.
Police said their investigation revealed that the complainant had married Jitendra, who was also from Hardoi, in 2017. However, in April 2018, Jitendra suddenly disappeared.
His family searched extensively for him but couldn’t find him anywhere.
Eventually, his father filed a missing person’s complaint at the Sandila police station. Despite repeated efforts over the years, Jitendra’s whereabouts remained unknown — until now.
As per the statement recorded by the police, Sheelu said that she had recently come across a reel on social media — and was shocked to recognise her missing husband in it.
Taken aback by the sight, police said she began contacting people close to Jitendra and his family to verify whether it was indeed him. During her inquiries, police said she came to know that Jitendra had been living in Ludhiana for the past several years.