'I married my aunt AND her daughter!' Bangladeshi farmer and father-of-four has spent 45 'happy' years with his wife and mother-in-law

• Shailesh Dalbot belongs to the Mandi tribe living in foothills of Bangladesh
• Culture dictates widow must remarry someone from their husband's clan
• He was forced to marry his aunt Shormi Nokrek when he was aged just 15
• Shormi offered her daughter Jellita, seven, to stop him being unfaithful
• Shailesh and Jellita are still together and have had four children together

By Helen Roberts for MailOnline

It may sound like most husbands' nightmare, but Shailesh Dalbot has been happily married to his wife and her mother for 45 years.

When his aunt Shormi Nokrek was widowed, Shailish, then 15, married her as the only available left from her late husband's family, according to tradition in their reclusive Mandi tribe.

And to prevent Shailesh from being unfaithful, he also married Shormi's daughter, Jellita, who was seven at the time.

Now 60, Shailesh has four children with Jellita and says their domestic arrangement is 'normal' to his tribe, who live in the foothills of central Bangladesh. 

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Bangladeshi farmer Shailesh Dalbot (left) has been married to his aunt Shormi (right) and her daughter Jellita (centre) for 45 years

Shailesh told MailOnline: 'My uncle had two brothers but were already married so I was the last option. There was no other choice. She couldn't marry anyone who didn't belong to her husband's family.'

Remarkably he married both mother and daughter on the same day Shormi's husband died in 1971 in a ceremony held alongside his funeral.

Shailesh added: 'I don't remember much about the wedding because it was 45 years ago but the priest announced something and it was done. My aunt became my wife.' 

'We're used to this tradition. I didn't find it strange or anything, it's normal to us. There's also a good reason for the custom; it saves the family line and keeps it strong.'

Shailesh and Shormi went on to live as husband and wife for ten years but never had any children.

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Now 60, Shailesh (left) has four children with Jellita (centre) and remains married to both women. The family are part of the Mandi tribe who live in the foothills of Bangladesh

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Jellita (left), was just seven at the time of the wedding. She was offered to Shailesh by her mother Shormi (right), to prevent him from being unfaithful

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Shailesh married both women at a joint ceremony on the day that Shormi's husband died and their wedding ceremony took place alongside his funeral. Shailesh was married to Shormi for ten years before he began a sexual relationship with her daughter Jelleta when she was 17

He said: 'We lived like other married couples for ten years and I respected her as my senior.'

Shailesh waited until Jellita was 17 before they began to have a sexual relationship. 

Now 52 and seen as head of the family, Jellita said: 'I was so young when I got married that I don't remember very much of the occasion. Actually, I didn't know what was going on or what was happening. 

'I found out I was married many years later but I was okay with it. I knew he was a good man and we had to follow traditions, I didn't find it strange. I've been very happy with my husband.' 

She added: 'My mother and I didn't share my husband. He stopped going to my mother after he came to me. That's how it was. It's tradition. We had no choice.

'I don't really know what I think about it. But I've been very happy all these years. My husband is a very good man.'

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Jellita, now 52, did not know she was married until years after the ceremony but she says she is 'very happy' with her husband

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Shailesh waited until Jellita (right) was 17 before they began a sexual relationship. The couple say that in their Mandi tribe their arrangement is normal. Women are the heads of the family

Mandi women usually choose their own husbands and the tribe's matriarchal culture means that women lead the household. All property is passed down the female line.

Mandi men often marry both mother and daughter to safeguard the family's property.  

Tribe members not only marry for love, but to consolidate wealth and influence between two families. 

In recent years, the mother-daughter marriage custom has died. Catholic missionaries converted 90 percent of the tribe's 25,000 Bangladeshi members and many traditional Mandi practices have since been banned.

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Mandi women usually choose their own husbands and tribal culture means all property is passed down the female line. Mandi tribe members not only marry for love, but to consolidate wealth and influence between two families

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In recent years, the mother-daughter marriage custom has died. Catholic missionaries converted 90 percent of the tribe's members and many Mandi practices have ended

Shailesh said: 'This custom isn't here any longer, values have changed. Christianity has spread in our society for decades. 

'Also young people are getting educated and reject the idea. Mandi girls want to have genuine love relationships these days. 

'The custom is obsolete now. Maybe we are the last of our kind, and we wouldn't be able to force our daughters to do this even if we tried. But my wives and I have had a very happy life together.'