Bengaluru techie turns spy to expose wife’s secret marriage, wins divorce battle

BENGALURU: In a courtroom battle that unfolded like a crime novel, a city-based software engineer took matters into his own hands — uncovering damning proof of his wife's bigamy, mental harassment and betrayal.At the end of the four-year-old divorce battle, he not only got the family court to dissolve the marriage but also got it to direct his wife to pay him the litigation cost.When the dispute began at a Mangaluru family court in 2021, the woman had demanded a permanent alimony of Rs 3 crore and monthly maintenance of Rs 60,000. However, in the court verdict delivered recently, the woman's claim for alimony and maintenance was rejected.The marital saga started on Dec 31, 2018 when Abhay (name changed), a techie who was earning Rs 2 lakh per month in Bengaluru, married Sunitha (name changed), a tech company employee, in Bantwal taluk of Dakshina Kannada district. After their wedding, the couple moved to KR Pura in Bengaluru. Initially, both families shared wedding expenses, and life as a newlywed couple began seemingly well. But cracks soon appeared in the marriage.Abhay's suspicions were triggered when he noticed mysterious financial transactions between his wife and her former boyfriend of five years. Though Sunitha claimed the relationship ended six months before their wedding, Abhay alleged it continued secretly. He even claimed that Sunitha made disturbing remarks, comparing him to her former boyfriend, boasting how her ex "met her needs better".In his March 2021 petition for divorce under Section 13(1)(i-a) of Hindu Marriage Act, Abhay also accused Sunitha of maintaining contact with another man.As tensions escalated, Abhay turned into a one-man investigation team. Suspecting her of having another secret relationship, he devised a way to find out: To pose as a job candidate in a Zoom interview and make her speak. During the meeting, Sunitha said her "first marriage" had ended, and she was now married to someone else. That made Abhay dig deeper. He filed RTI applications and uncovered a trail of documents –– marriage records, PAN details, travel history, and even a name-change affidavit –– all pointing to Sunitha's second marriage in March 2023.Meanwhile, Sunitha countered with serious allegations of domestic violence, forced abortion as well as dowry demands. She accused him of pressuring her to quit jobs, slapping her, and demanding Rs 10 lakh and 30 sovereigns of gold.After hearing both sides and going through the documents, the court on April 23 allowed Abhay's plea and passed a decree of divorce, ending his marriage with Sunitha. While partly allowing the counterclaim filed by the wife, the court rejected her demand for permanent alimony and maintenance. The court also directed Abhay to return all gold ornaments belonging to her. The court also awarded Rs 30,000 as litigation costs to Abhay.