Missing for 8 years, man found in Instagram reel with second wife; Booked for bigamy and fraud

 

By Barnabas Karunagari | September 2, 2025

Hardoi, Uttar Pradesh: A woman in Uttar Pradesh has discovered that her husband, missing for nearly eight years, had in fact faked his disappearance, moved to Punjab, and remarried. His secret life came to light only after his wife spotted him in an Instagram reel with another woman.

The man, identified as Jitendra Kumar alias Bablu (32), was married to Sheelu in 2017. The marriage soon soured amid allegations of dowry harassment. Police records show Sheelu was allegedly harassed by her in-laws for a gold chain and ring. When the demands were not met, she was reportedly thrown out of her marital home. Her family lodged a dowry case against Jitendra and his relatives.

Amid this ongoing dispute, Jitendra mysteriously went missing in April 2018. His father lodged a missing person complaint on April 20, 2018, at Sandila police station in Hardoi. With no trace of him for years, his family accused Sheelu of foul play, alleging she and her relatives had murdered Jitendra and concealed his body.

For nearly eight years, Sheelu lived under suspicion and uncertainty, with no knowledge of her husband’s whereabouts. The case took a dramatic turn recently when she stumbled upon a viral Instagram reel that featured Jitendra alongside another woman. Recognising him instantly, she alerted the police.

Acting on her complaint, Hardoi police launched a fresh investigation. Circle Officer Santosh Kumar Singh confirmed that the reel provided crucial evidence. Investigators soon discovered that Jitendra had shifted to Ludhiana, Punjab, where he had remarried and started a new life under the radar.

“During inquiry, it was found that Jitendra had staged his own disappearance, settled in Ludhiana, and married another woman. He has been taken into custody,” CO Singh said.

Police have booked Jitendra under multiple sections, including charges of bigamy, fraud, and dowry harassment, under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). He is currently under police surveillance at Sandila police station, and further legal proceedings are underway.

The case has not only exposed a prolonged deception but also underlined the evolving role of social media in law enforcement, where a simple Instagram reel cracked a mystery that had baffled police and torn apart two families for nearly a decade.