THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The city police have arrested two people who allegedly married off an Indian woman to a Maldives national by creating a bogus marriage certificate. Haja Nissamudeen, 48, of Vallakkadavu, and Anand, 41, of Muttathara, were arrested by the Fort police for having married off the woman, a mother of three, to the middle-aged man from the island nation by flouting rules and forging a marriage certificate in the name of a bogus organisation.
The police said the woman, who was living separated from her husband, was enticed into marrying the man who had arrived in the city for treatment. The accused took $2,000 from the Maldives national, Yousf Abdul Karim, and facilitated the marriage. The mastermind behind the episode is Dr Azeez, an Ayurveda doctor and a native of Manacaud, who is on the run.
The marriage was allegedly held at the house of the doctor. To give an impression that the marriage was conducted in a legal way, a marriage certificate was fabricated wherein it was shown that the nikah was conducted by an imam. To substantiate the lies, a fake letter was also issued in the name of All India Muslim Council claiming that the marriage was conducted under its patronage, the police said. The fraud was exposed when the couple went to Maldives and presented the marriage certificate before competent authorities for scrutiny.
The Maldivian officials found that the document was forged and alerted the matter to the Foreigners Regional Registration Officer (FRRO) in Thiruvananthapuram. The police claimed that, during a raid at the doctor’s house, they recovered several fake marriage certificates. The arrested have been sent to judicial remand.