

CHENNAI: A 30-year-old man has been booked by the city police for allegedly cheating several women on the pretext of marriage. Police said the suspect, R Manikandan of Kattupakkam, was a professional bodybuilder and owned a gym in the locality. He is also a Mr World title winner.
Manikandan tied the knot with Kavitha in 2019. Recently, Kavitha lodged a police complaint stating that her husband had been duping several women. “Manikandan was arrested in 2021 for physically assaulting a woman, who was allegedly his then-girlfriend. He was bailed out by his wife in the following year,” sources said.
Earlier this year, Kavitha filed a complaint against her husband, but the police did not register a case. Manikandan allegedly threatened her to withdraw the complaint and distressed by this, Kavitha tried to die by suicide a month ago. After treatment, she lodged another complaint on Thursday and this time a case was registered at SRMC All Women Police Station under relevant sections of the IPC.
A police officer said, “Kavitha in her plaint said Manikandan claimed another woman as his wife in a video recently. When confronted, he told Kavitha that he had married the other woman as she could help him pay off debts. The complaint also claimed that Manikandan is in a relationship with several other women.” A search has been initiated for Manikandan, who has gone absconding.