Verna Police have registered an FIR against Derrick Vales, the 38-year-old acting sarpanch of Sancoale, after directions from a Vasco court. The complaint was filed by his second wife, who alleged that Vales misled her into believing that his first marriage had been legally dissolved before marrying her.
Records show that Vales married his first wife in 2012 and entered a second marriage in July 2021 under the Indian Christian Marriage Act at the Mantralaya marriage registrar in Mumbai, without divorcing his first wife.
The complainant stated that Vales provided documents falsely indicating that his first marriage had ended, prompting her to consent to the marriage and engage in sexual relations under the belief that she was his legal wife. She further claimed that Vales abandoned her and their child in November 2021, leaving her to raise the child alone.
After initial complaints to the police and the South Goa Superintendent of Police did not result in an FIR, the woman approached the Vasco court. The court found prima facie evidence of bigamy, fraud, and deceitful sexual relations, and directed the police to register an FIR.
The FIR now covers charges of bigamy, fraud, and sexual intercourse by false pretences regarding marital status. The case is under investigation, with authorities awaiting the court’s formal written directive to proceed further. The judicial magistrate noted that the accused’s actions demonstrated a clear intent to deceive the complainant about his marital status.