A man from Gopalganj district in Bihar has been arrested for allegedly marrying three women within a period of three years without legally divorcing any of his earlier wives. The arrest came after written complaints were filed by his first and second wives, who accused him of domestic violence, dowry harassment, cheating, and deception.

The accused has been identified as Pintu Barnwal. According to the complaints, Barnwal allegedly married women one after another for financial gain and later abandoned them after subjecting them to mental and physical torture. The case became public after both women separately approached the police and shared similar allegations against him.

Pintu Barnwal has denied all the accusations made by his wives. He admitted that he married three women but claimed that he was forced to do so because of personal and family circumstances. Speaking to news agency ANI, he said that the allegations of dowry demand and violence were false. He claimed that neither he nor his family took any money from the women’s families.

Barnwal said his earlier marriages failed because his wives did not take care of his elderly mother. According to him, his mother is 60 years old, and his wives refused to cook or help her. He also made serious allegations against his first wife, Khushboo Kumari, claiming that she once tried to kill him and his mother with a knife. He said villagers were aware of the incident and described the rape allegations mentioned in the police complaint as completely false.

He further claimed that there was a 10-year age difference between him and his first wife and that there was no physical relationship in their marriage. Explaining why he married a third time, Barnwal said his mother suffers from heart disease and diabetes and needed someone to take care of her.

However, Khushboo Kumari strongly rejected Barnwal’s claims. She said she married him on December 2, 2022, and alleged that her family gave ₹3 lakh in cash, jewellery, and household items after repeated dowry demands. She accused Barnwal of beating her, mentally torturing her, and eventually throwing her out of the house. She later discovered that he had married two other women without divorcing her.

The second wife, Gudiya Kumari, also accused Barnwal of cheating her. She said she was unaware that he was already married when she agreed to the marriage. According to her, after marrying her, Barnwal married a third woman without informing her and later abandoned her.

Both women claimed that Barnwal and his family used marriage as a way to extract money. They demanded strict punishment, saying his actions had ruined the lives of several women. The police are currently investigating the matter.