BALASORE: In the quaint village of Budhakusumi in Balasore, a cross-border love story took a dramatic turn, leaving the community astonished. The incident came to the fore after Ruma Mariam (25), hailing from Amtali village in Bangladesh, reached the village on Sunday and claimed that her husband, Barendra Bhanja, from Budhakusumi, abandoned her for a second marriage.
From what Ruma stated, their love and marriage story began six years ago when Barendra, then employed in a private company in West Bengal’s Digha, met Ruma virtually through Facebook. Their online friendship blossomed into love, transcending borders. They exchanged mobile numbers and then began real-world meetings and, ultimately, both reportedly got married in Bangladesh with the blessings of a maulana in Box Bazaar.
After five years of marriage, last year, Barendra returned to his native, severing ties with Ruma. Despite her persistent attempts, his mobile remained unreachable. Later, Ruma got to know that Barendra had reportedly married another woman from his native village a few months back. Armed with photographs and videos of her life with Barendra, Ruma reached Budhakusumi and confronted his parents on Sunday. However, they dismissed her claims, asserting ignorance about their son’s alleged previous marriage.
Father of Barendra, Purnachandra Bhanja, said his son was not at home as he has gone out to search for a job. He also asserted, “Had we known about a previous marriage, we would not have got him married again a few months ago.”
Purnachandra said that Kamarda police had come to their house and seized Barendra’s mobile phone for investigation. Meanwhile, Ruma was taken to the One Stop Centre in Balasore. Reliable sources state that legal aid will be provided if she decides to file a complaint against Barendra. As of now, Ruma has maintained silence, and no formal complaint has been filed.