New Delhi: The bizarre wedding of twins to the same man in Maharashtra has inspired headlines but has also caught the attention of the police, who have launched an investigation.
On Friday, Atul Uttam Autade, who runs a travel agency in Mumbai, married sisters Rinki and Pinki Padgaonkar in a grand ceremony at Solapur in Maharashtra.
A video shows them performing the traditional "varmala" or garland ceremony and much laughter as Atul, lifted by friends, tries to dodge the garlands from his two brides.
After the wedding video surfaced on social media, the police stepped in. Atul has been charged with bigamy, which is illegal and draws a seven-year jail sentence.
"A non-cognisable offence case under IPC section 494 (marrying again when spouse is alive) was registered against Atul Awtade for marrying twin sisters together on December 2," senior police officer Shirish Sardeshpande told news agency ANI.
The National Women's Commission and the Maharashtra women's body have also called for action against the trio.
Reports suggest Atul and the twins knew each other since they were children. He allegedly grew close to both the sisters when they took their mother to the hospital in his car.
"The twins lived with their mother after their father's death. They both got into a relationship with Atul, who decided to marry both of them," said a relative.
Rinki and Pinki, both IT engineers, inexplicably agreed to marry the same man. They are seen smiling as they flank Atul in wedding photos and videos, wearing identical blue, red and gold sarees. Their families did not object, reports say.
Now the wedding has given way to a police investigation that may send Atul to jail.