A newlywed man from Indonesia had the shock of his life after finding out that his bride was actually a man who was pretending to be a woman to steal his assets.
The 26-year-old fraudster was arrested and could face jail time for duping the man.
The husband, who is also 26 and used the alias AK, had met someone named Adinda Kanza on social media last year.
The two hit it off online and eventually decided to meet in person. But even after they met, AK had no inkling about the accused individual not being a woman, according to the South China Morning Post.
Each time they met, Adinda always showed up dressed in traditional Muslim attire with her entire face covered. The alleged scammer claimed to be a devout follower of Islam, and AK was unbothered by the veil covering his partner’s face. He took it as a sign of her faithfulness to the religion’s practices.
An Indonesian man discovered that his wife was actually a man about 12 days into their marriage
Image credits: QQ.com
The two eventually grew closer and decided to get married after more than a year of dating.
During their conversations, Adinda claimed to have no loved ones or family members who would show up for their wedding. This led to the couple deciding to have a low-key ceremony.
The pair eventually tied the knot in a modest fashion at the groom’s residence on April 12. However, the couple did not officially have their marriage certificate registered.
Pictures from the wedding showed AK with Adinda’s arm entwined in his. The bride's face was visible in the picture, and the individual was dressed up in a gown that matched the color of AK’s suit.
Moreover, the fraudster also managed to bring 5 grams of gold as dowry, which is an asset or sum of money given by the bride’s side to the groom when they get married.
It was only about 12 days into his marriage when the husband realized that his bride was actually a man.
His suspicions about Adinda first came about when the bride refused to communicate with his family members. He also found it strange that she would not take off her veil even while inside the house.
After they tied the knot, the husband found it suspicious that his wife continued to wear a veil at home and refused to communicate with his family members
Image credits: QQ.com
The husband’s doubts about his wife grew as Adinda refused to be intimate with him. The alleged con artist would give excuses about not feeling well or being on her period.
AK eventually dug into his spouse’s family and history. His findings shocked him, as he discovered Adinda was not an orphan, as previously claimed.
The parents of the accused individual, later identified as ESH, were alive and apparently knew nothing about their son’s relationship with the recently married husband.
Some reports said the parents claimed their son had been missing for years, and they had heard nothing about gaining a “son-in-law” named AK.
The groom eventually went to the police and reported the incident.
ESH, who has been cross-dressing since 2020, eventually admitted to law enforcement officials that he married AK with the intention of stealing his family’s assets.
Investigators claimed that the alleged scammer had a “female-sounding voice” and “behaved like a woman.”
“If you look at their wedding photos, Adinda looks exactly like a real woman,” said a police statement.
The newlywed man eventually discovered that his spouse was not an orphan as previously claimed and had been cross-dressing since 2020
Image credits: QQ.com
“He also has a gentle voice and tone, so there was no suspicion at all about him being a woman,” the statement added.
The accused individual is currently facing charges related to fraud and could face up to four years behind bars following the investigation.
Details about ESH’s preferred pronouns and sexual orientation are unclear. Police said the individual dated women in the past but may have enjoyed going out with men while pretending to be a woman.
It is also unclear whether the accused fraudster identifies as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, which faces massive scrutiny in Indonesia.
Natives of the Asian country were found to be “highly opposed” to the legalization of same-sex marriage, according to surveys conducted by Pew Research Center.
100% of Indonesians who participated in the survey said religion is important to them, and about 9 out of 10 people opposed the idea of allowing same-sex couples to marry.
88% of the respondents said they strongly oppose same-sex marriage, while only 5% said they support same-sex marriage.
Some people online agreed that they would "sue" and "file charges" in such a case
