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In India, men often have a laundry list of attributes they want in their brides - a glance at the matrimonial columns in newspapers and match-making websites shows everyone wants tall, fair, beautiful brides.

Lawyers for Ms Vince, 50, said her ex-husband, 63, had been giving away their matrimonial assets in a "wanton and reckless" fashion.

Their helpline number, he says, receives about 86,000 calls every year and most cases are about matrimonial disputes that include false dowry cases and attempts at extortion.

Marilyn Chinitz, a partner in matrimonial and family law at Blank Rome in New York, said that filing for divorce on fault-based grounds is unnecessary, costly and drives an extra wedge between parties.

The victim had met his wife on an Indian marriage matrimonial website while they were both living in the UK and became engaged.