BHOPAL: Police have busted a gang with the arrest of eight persons, including three women, who duped many men on pretext of getting them hitched. Bait of marriage helped the police to bust the gangs which had duped four men in the last three months.
The gang would target those men who were looking for a bride and had failed to find a suitable match. The gang would approach the men and arrange meetings with ‘suitable girls’. They would help him get married to his desired partner, however, the marital knot would only last for a week as thereafter the new bride would run away with all valuables at the first given opportunity.
The accused have been identified as Dinesh Pandey,Tejulal, Virendra Dhakad, Salman, Vikram, Pooja aka Riya, Seema Patidar aka Seema Tiwari aka Sheeba Khan and Reena aka Sultana. Police have also seized Rs 1.35 lakh from their possession.
Four such cases were registered with the crime branch. The prime accused Dinesh Kumar Pandey would pretend to be matchmaker and his friends Salman Khan and Virendra Dhakad would pose as parents or relatives of the ‘girl’. The woman who pretended to be a bride would receive Rs 30,000 for each marriage, said police. Police said one of the women who had married a victim was already married and mother of four.
The crime branch laid a trap to nab the culprits. They contacted one of the gang members seeking a marriage alliance for would be groom Rinku Kushwaha. A meeting of the two parties was held in Bhopal. Police then caught all the accused.
Giving details of their modus operandi, the crime branch sleuths informed that the gang would search for their targets on matrimonial sites. They would then approach them with a marriage proposal painting a very rosy picture of the girl. They would also look for the men around them who were not able to find a suitable match. They would meet these men and assure them to arrange a suitable girl for marriage. They would then make the men meet with their girls/women - of their gang- and made sure that things materialize. Once the men agreed for the marriage, they would ask them to pay for arranging the wedding. The men hoping to get good life partner would concede to all their demands
After the bride has spent a week at her new home, she would get a call from her relative about their ailing family member. The woman would leave the house – with all valuables- telling her husband that she has to visit her ailing relative. The groom, unaware of her intentions, would let her leave, unaware that she would never return. Once left the house of victims, the bride disappeared.
