Bogus soldier marries six times

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Outfitted in fatigues and brimming with confidence, 33-year- old Abdul Rochman married six times before his engagement with a seventh woman landed him in jail after the girl's father reported the bogus soldier to authorities in the West Java capital of Bandung.

"This man was using a military uniform to get the attention of the girls he was after," said Bandung Police crime unit chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Masguntur Laupe on Wednesday.

Police seized two military uniforms, which Abdul had bought for Rp 55,000 (about US$6.70) each at the Cimahi market in Bandung.

Masguntur said that Abdul claimed to be a second lieutenant at Bandung's infantry weapon center.

But in reality, Abdul sells electronics.

Abdul said that he had always wanted to be a military officer.

Posing as Second Lt. Agus, he could succeed in marrying the six girls he wanted, said Abdul. He said he also took on a side job collecting debts.

Abdul claims to have married six women, who all divorced him after finding out that he was not a military man.

"It turns out that they were only interested in me because I was a soldier. Once I told them that I wasn't one, they dumped me and filed for divorce," Abdul said. He did not say for how long he stayed married to the women. Their names were also not available for release.

When he asked for the hand of the seventh woman, her father, a real soldier, became suspicious.

The would-be father-in-law checked his identity at the military unit in Bandung where Abdul claimed to be stationed at, the police report said. The unit said that there was no one there by the name of Abdul Rochman.