- Posing as a younger wealthy doctor, Bibhu Prakash Swain targeted successful women in their 40s on matchmaking sites.
- Swain, 67, was arrested just weeks ahead of two more planned marriages, AFP said.
- On his phone, his wives' contacts were saved under names such as "wife teacher" or "wife Delhi."
A serial swindler in India has been accused of duping at least 18 women into marrying him before running off with their money.
Bibhu Prakash Swain, 67, was arrested earlier this month in Bhubaneswar, in the Indian state of Odisha, just weeks ahead of two more planned sham weddings, police told AFP.
Odisha police told the outlet Swain would pose as a wealthy 51-year-old doctor on matchmaking sites and target successful women in their 40s, including divorcees and widows. His victims included lawyers, medics, and professors from all across India.
"He primarily did this for their money and some sexual pleasure," senior police official Sanjiv Satpathy told AFP. "He was always very persuasive."
His wives' contact details were saved in his phone under names such as "wife teacher," "wife doctor," or "wife Bangalore," and "wife Delhi," depending on where the woman was based, police told the Indian broadsheet Hindustan Times.
"We knew that he had preyed on unsuspecting women looking for security and love," Sapathy told the Times.
The Odisha Police Department did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
Satpathy told AFP that Swain would borrow money or jewelry from his wives just days after marrying them, saying he needed it for an emergency. He would then disappear. It is unclear if he divorced any of the women.
Born in a village in the eastern state of Odisha, he was first married in 1978 but eventually had a falling out with his family and moved out, the outlet said. After relocating to the state capital Bhubaneshwar, he began introducing himself as a doctor and, in 2002, convinced a second woman to marry him. According to the New Indian Express, his most recent marriage was in 2020.
On LinkedIn, Swain has his occupation listed as "dy director general ministry of healt and higher education at ministry of healt." His consistent poor grammar and spelling was a tip off, police told the Times.
"He has since used multiple names but always introduced himself as a doctor or a professor while looking for wives online," Satpathy told AFP.
Swain's longtime scam only came to light when one of his wives, a 48-year-old woman, filed a police report last year after discovering by chance that he had been married to at least seven other women. She then contacted the women individually to tell them about the con.
According to the Hindustan Times, Swain has also been accused by authorities of defrauding 13 banks out of 10 million rupees ($134,000). He was previously arrested in Hyderabad in 2010 in connection with a scam promising fake jobs to students, the New Indian Express reported.