Gold, cash gone as bride vanishes days after wedding in Gujarat

VADODARA: A marriage that promised a new beginning for a Mahisagar farmer’s family turned into a nightmare when the bride allegedly disappeared with cash and gold ornaments worth over Rs 5 lakh just four days after the wedding.

Police suspect the incident may be the handiwork of a gang that targets families looking for brides and disappears soon after the marriage ceremony.

According to the complaint, Suresh Patel, a farmer from Kharol village in Kothamba taluka, had been looking for a suitable match for his son, Virat Patel. He approached a marriage broker, Natu Gohil of Anand, who introduced the family to a young woman, Reshma Gajera, and her parents, who claimed to be residents of city’s Gorwa area.

After a series of meetings, the alliance was finalised and the couple got married at a temple in Kharol village on April 14.

Patel alleged that before the wedding, he paid Rs 2 lakh in cash to the bride’s family and purchased gold ornaments worth Rs 3.27 lakh for the bride.

Just four days into the marriage, Reshma’s parents informed the family that a relative’s wedding was taking place in Dabhoi and requested permission for their daughter to attend. Wearing all the gold jewellery gifted to her at the wedding, she left her matrimonial home.

Days passed, but the bride never returned.

When the family tried calling her, her phone was switched off. Calls to her parents also went unanswered. Growing suspicious, Patel travelled to the address provided by the family in Gorwa. There, he found the house locked, and neighbours informed him that the occupants had left the area.

His attempts to contact the marriage broker also proved futile as the latter’s phone was switched off. Realising that he had been cheated, Patel approached Kothamba police and lodged a complaint.

Police have launched an investigation and are searching for the accused. Investigators suspect the group may have duped several other families using a similar modus operandi and are probing whether an organized gang is involved.