Stories of polygamists scourging the Internet to target unsuspecting brides-in-waiting are old hat. Now, a victim of polygamy in Coimbatore has created a blog to shame and tame an Army cook, who is on the run after allegedly marrying four women and deserting them at will. Three of the deserted wives of Philip Joseph alias Dilip Joseph, a cook attached to the Madras Regiment, had hogged the limelight recently by staging a joint protest at the Coimbatore PoliceCommissioner’s office demanding action against him.
Now, one of the women, Prema (33) of Ramanathapuram, has created a blog bridaltears.blogspot. in with the help of a friend, Benita Serrao, to highlight how she was trapped in a make-believe marriage. Prema had married Joseph in February last, under the impression that he was an Army officer. Two months later, the marriage was on the rocks when she learnt that he was married thrice and had three children. In the blog, Prema narrates how each of the women was deceived by Philip and his family members.
Prema’s brothers Jayaprakash and Suresh had tracked all three women with the help of church authorities, who solemnised their short-lived marriages. While Philip is absconding, his mother Mary and sister Usha managed to get bail after spending 15-days in jail. “We came to know his real identity very late but decided that no woman should be cheated by him. The blog was created as we wanted the world to know how Philip and his family deceive innocent women,” Prema told The Sunday Standard. The blog claims that Philip’s colleagues testified he had married women in Rajasthan and Delhi too. “Though we approached the Army Court, we did not receive any help. Philip has not reported for duty at his Regiment,” says Jayaprakash. Philip had married Divya (since divorced), Pushpalatha and Ramya before he trapped Prema. Jayaprakash says the blog’s link would be up on Facebook soon to ensure it reaches a wider audience and serve as a warning to other women.