Thiruvananthapuram, Jun 7: In a dramatic turn of events, Reshma Chandrasekeran, a woman in her 30s accused of duping at least seven men by marrying them and fleeing with their gold mangalasutras, was arrested just hours before what would have been her eighth wedding, officials said on Saturday.

Reshma, who also has a two-year-old child, was taken into custody by the Aryanadu Police on Friday from a beauty parlour where she was getting ready for the wedding.

The prospective groom -- a local body member from Pothencode -- had grown suspicious of her behaviour and alerted the police.

"She is now in our custody. Her arrest has been formally recorded, and she will be produced before the local court soon," a police official told IANS.

The groom told police he first connected with Reshma through a matrimonial website last month.

After initial conversations with a woman who introduced herself as a mediator, Reshma was presented as a potential match. They later met in a mall in Kottayam, where Reshma told him she had grown up as an orphan and had very few relatives, which is why she wouldn’t have anyone from her side attending the wedding scheduled for June 6.

However, doubts were raised when she visited the groom's friend’s house the previous evening. The friend's wife noticed her suspicious conduct and warned the groom.

On Friday, as Reshma arrived at the parlour, her handbag was discreetly searched, and documents relating to several past marriages were discovered. The police were immediately called, and she was detained.

According to police officials, Reshma's modus operandi was simple yet effective -- after the wedding ceremony, where the groom would traditionally present the mangalasutra, she would vanish within days, cutting off all contact.

"We have started contacting the men she previously married based on the information we've obtained during questioning," the official said, adding, “She appears to have been planning at least two more weddings in the coming months.”

The incident has shocked the local community and raised serious concerns over matrimonial fraud. Further investigation is underway to uncover the full extent of Reshma’s deception and identify any possible accomplices.

(IANS)

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