The Odisha Police booked a 45-year-old man for allegedly handing out instant 'triple talaq' to his wife after she confessed to losing Rs 1.5 lakh to cyber criminals, an official said on Saturday.
The practice of ‘Triple talaq' is illegal in India since 2017.
A 32-year-old woman of Kendrapara district lodged a complaint with the police alleging that her husband, who is currently in Gujarat, on April 1 uttered talaq three times after getting to know from her over the phone that she lost Rs 1.5 lakh to cyber frauds, thus divorcing her illegally.
The couple has been married for the last 15 years and has three teenaged children.
A case was registered against the accused under the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Act, said Kendrapara Sadar police station Inspector Saroj Kumar Sahoo.
The Act bans the practice of instant triple talaq and invites imprisonment of up to three years.
As the complainant stated that she was also subjected to dowry-related torture, cases under various sections of the IPC and Dowry Prevention Act have also been registered, Sahoo said.
The details of how the woman lost the money to cyber criminals are not yet clear till now.
The Supreme Court in 2017 banned the controversial practice of instant divorce, setting it aside on several grounds including that it was against the basic tenets of the Holy Quran and violated the Islamic law Shariat.