Police in the Indian state of Jharkhand were in the news recently for settling a marital dispute by ordering a man to spend three days a week with his wife, three days with his girlfriend, and take one day off from both.

It all started when Rajesh Mahato, a married man from Kokar Tiril Road, in Ranchi, decided to get himself a girlfriend as well. Because he was so infatuated with his new conquest and didn’t want to lose her, the man never told her he was married. Instead, he convinced her to elope with him, leaving his wife and child behind without so much as a goodbye. Only things didn’t end there. The man’s wife filed a complaint with police, as did the parents of Rajesh’s girlfriend, who accused him of kidnapping. And that’s just the start of this crazy tale.

Police started an investigation and a nationwide search for Majesh and his girlfriend. They were eventually located, only by that time, the man had already married his new fling. When the three – Majesh, his wife, and his new wife – were reunited, a heated argument began between them, and it was up to the police to come up with a way to restore peace.

The solution devised by Jharkhand police wasn’t the most elegant. They ordered the man to spend three days a week with his old family, three days with his new wife, and even gave him a day off, to recover. The crazy thing is that the three even signed an official reconciliation document, and receive copies of it from police. Sadly, things didn’t really work out as well as police had hoped.

According to Indian newspaper Dainik Jagran, within days of signing the reconciliation paper, Rajesh’s new wife filed a FIR (First Information Report) against him, accusing him of sexual assault under pretext of marriage. An arrest warrant was issued in the man’s name, and police are currently conducting raids to catch him.

Interestingly, Rajesh Mahato was almost apprehended when police checked his old home, but guess who helped him escape? Indian media reports that his first wife helped him flee, when she saw the police at their doorstep… Now that’s commitment!

Oddity Central