A farmer in Madhya Pradesh's Dewas district was cheated of six lakh rupees by a gang that promised to arrange his second marriage. Within a day of the wedding, his new bride vanished from the house, exposing what police now say was an organised marriage fraud racket.
The farmer's ordeal in Dewas
The case is from Pipaliya Sahab village in the Bagli area of Dewas district. Harinarayan Hazarilal Parariya, a 28-year-old farmer from the village, has filed a complaint at the MG Road police station in Indore. Harinarayan's first marriage took place in 2007 to a woman named Tara Bai, but the marriage did not last and the couple got divorced. After the divorce, Harinarayan wanted to remarry, and his brother reached out to a woman named Haseena Bai to help find a bride for him.
Six lakh rupees collected on pretext of treatment
The accused assured Harinarayan that they would get him married. In return, they told him that the prospective bride Nandani's mother, Suman Bai, had been ill for a long time and urgently needed six lakh rupees for her treatment. Eager to marry quickly and start a new life, the farmer believed the accused and handed over the entire amount they demanded.
Agreement signed in court, wedding held at temple
On June 30, Harinarayan travelled to the Indore district court along with his village sarpanch Jitendra Singh Darbar, Mohan Jat, Jyoti Bai Jat and other villagers. A written agreement was drawn up between the two sides at the court. After the agreement was signed, Harinarayan handed over six lakh rupees to the accused. The entire group then went to the Ram Mandir in Indore's Tukoganj area, where the wedding rituals were completed following religious customs. After the wedding, Harinarayan brought his new bride home to the village with a celebration of drums and music. There was an atmosphere of joy in the household as the family welcomed the new bride.
Bride disappears the very next day
But the happiness at home did not last long. The very next day after the wedding, Nandani disappeared from the house without informing anyone. The family searched extensively in the area but found no trace of her. It later emerged that Nandani and her associates were actually part of an organised gang that cheats people in the name of marriage, extracting money from victims and then disappearing soon after the wedding.
Police register case, investigation underway
Acting on the victim's complaint, police have registered a case of fraud against five people, including bride Nandani, her mother Suman Bai, and woman broker Haseena Bai. Police are now trying to determine how many other people this gang may have targeted in the same manner, and where Nandani is currently hiding.
