‘Brides’ never arrived: Couple held for conning 42 grooms in mass wedding scam

DEWAS: Madhya Pradesh police have busted an alleged marriage racket and arrested a couple accused of duping dozens of families by promising marriages with women projected as brides from an orphanage.

As per a PTI news report, Mukesh and Sunita Das Bairagi, were arrested after police registered a case late on Sunday against four persons in connection with the alleged fraud. Two other accused are absconding.

A police officer said the accused allegedly targeted unsuspecting families by showing them photographs of women downloaded from social media platforms and presenting them as prospective brides.

“Initial investigation revealed that the accused downloaded photos of women from social media platforms and presented them as prospective brides to the families,” PTI quoted the officer as saying.

Police said the accused charged families between Rs 10,000 and Rs 25,000 to arrange marriages at a mass wedding ceremony at a religious site in Dewas.

The scam came to light on Sunday when grooms and their family members from different districts reached the designated venue and waited till nearly 10pm for the brides and organisers to arrive. When nobody turned up, the families approached police and lodged complaints.

While victims and eyewitnesses claimed that around 42 grooms were duped, police said only 10 families have formally filed complaints so far, as several others were hesitant due to fear of social stigma.

(With agency inputs)