Karukachal (Kottayam): One of the three accused remaining to be arrested in the sensational wife-swapping case managed to flee to Saudi Arabia.

The police had earlier made nine persons accused in the case on a complaint filed by a 27-year-old woman from Pathanad.

As reported earlier of the total nine accused, six were arrested. Five accused were arrested by the Karukachal police. One accused was arrested by the Ernakulam police on Sunday. His arrest was recorded on Monday.

The woman's 32-year-old husband, who allegedly forced her to have sex with four others and induced her to indulge in unnatural sex, was one of the accused arrested by the police.

According to police, efforts have begun to bring back the accused, who fled to Saudi, as early as possible. The police have also intensified search for nabbing the remaining two accused.

Meanwhile, no other victim has come up with any complaint on the issue, making it a little bit difficult for the police to take the investigation into its logical end.

It was found in the police investigation that the woman was handed over to others by the husband for money. 

Five people came to the house of the woman along with wives. Even unmarried persons, known as studs in social media circles, were taken to the house of the woman by the husband.

It was found that money was charged from them by the husband. Those arrested belonged to the districts of Ernakulam, Alappuzha and Kottayam.

The woman came to the Karukachal police station to give a complaint along with her brother.

Earlier, the police produced the accused, who were arrested, before the Changanassery Judicial Magistrate Court which, in turn, remanded them in custody.   

Accused had links with 14 social media groups

The police inquiry revealed that the accused, who were arrested, had links with almost 14 social media groups that run exclusively for wife swapping activities.

There are more such social media groups active in the State, resulting in the rampant operation of wife swapping mafia.

The police are making a detailed inquiry with the help of the Cyber Cell to collect more details about such groups.

The police said that almost 2,000 couples on average are active in each such social media group that runs exclusively for wife swapping. Even chronic bachelors are members of such groups. During the COVID-19 lockdown period, they used to operate through video calls.

Husband used suicide threat as ploy to silence woman

The woman, who gave the complaint, got married to the accused in 2013. The husband was working then in the Gulf.  Later in 2018, he came to Kerala. Soon, he started forcing the woman to join the wife swapping activities.

Though she refused, he used both threats and persuasion to make her toe his line. Two times, she fell out with him and left home. But he managed to bring her back by threatening that he would commit suicide if she didn't accept his diktats and she would be responsible for his suicide.

He even showed photographs to her in which he was seen standing in hanging position.

Other gang members in the wife swapping mafia used to visit their house under the garb of family friends and hence, neighbours did not have any doubt about the activities. The woman was taken to houses in Ernakulam and Alappuzha districts.

Recently, she told a YouTube channel about her plight. Some of the relatives, who noticed it, found something fishy and persuaded her to approach the police.

Once receiving the complaint from the woman, the Karukachal police swiftly swung into action, busted the racket and arrested the six accused in the case.

Kids were put at knifepoint to make my sister agree to wife swapping: Complainant's brother  

Kottayam: The relatives of the woman complainant in the wife swapping case have come up with more revelations on the operation of the racket. 

The complainant's brother told "Manorama News" that his sister was tied up in the house. "Eight people had intimidated her. She had a threat to her life from the accused," he said.

"When I came to know about it first, I tried to manhandle my brother-in-law. He tendered an apology and assured me that such things would not happen again. Just imagine! Even children were told by him that if their mother was willing they could make money. My sister was forced into such activities by putting children at knifepoint."

The get-togethers were conducted by the accused in many names and  by citing many reasons. Without being able to withstand the sufferings any more,  the woman complainant came out openly against the wife swapping gang, well ahead  of another such get-together scheduled in Alappzha next week. The accused husband has 20 fake profiles on social media.

The brother of the complainant now apprehends that the lives of both her sister and himself are under threat from the family members of the accused and the gang members who indulge in wife swapping activities.

The police made nine people accused, including the husband, in the course of the inquiry begun  on the basis of the complaint filed by the 27-year-old woman hailing from Pathanad.