NRI Convicted for Rape, Bigamy, and Forgery: 10-Year Sentence

In a shocking case of deception, an NRI and former Indian Army serviceman has been sentenced to 10 years in prison by an Ahmedabad court for the crimes of rape, bigamy, and forgery. The convict, Lavendra Chaudhary, originally hails from Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, but has been residing in New Jersey, USA.

According to the prosecution, Chaudhary's second wife filed a complaint with the Mahila Police Station (West) in July 2020, alleging that her husband had tricked her into marriage by falsely claiming that his first wife had died in 2017. Chaudhary had produced a forged death certificate to support his claim and married the complainant in Ahmedabad in 2018.

The woman stated that she had known Chaudhary since 1995 and had met him again in 2016 when she visited the US. Chaudhary had told her that he had left the Indian Army on medical grounds and had shifted to the US. He claimed to be in the process of divorcing his first wife and established a sexual relationship with the complainant, eventually blackmailing her into continuing the relationship.

After the couple moved to the US and lived there for a couple of years, a matrimonial dispute arose between them. In 2019, the woman contacted Chaudhary's in-laws and discovered that his first wife was, in fact, still alive. This led her to file the FIR in July 2020.

The additional sessions judge, D.A. Vora, found Chaudhary guilty of the charges and sentenced him to 10 years of imprisonment. In his ruling, the judge noted that Chaudhary had a physical relationship with the complainant, knowing that their marriage was not legally valid, and that he had forged a death certificate for his first wife, using it as a genuine document.