The Sagwara police station team in Rajasthan's Dungarpur district has dismantled an interstate matrimonial fraud gang, resulting in the arrest of a bride and her primary broker from Maharashtra. The enforcement action followed a complaint by an aggrieved family whose son was cheated shortly after his wedding. The bride absconded with cash, gold ornaments, and household valuables after staying at her in-laws' home for only a few days, inflicting a financial loss of approximately Rs 8 lakh on the victim's family.
Matrimonial Deal Struck for Rs 3.50 Lakh
The fraudulent scheme came to light after Hakraji Patidar, a resident of Khadagda village, lodged a formal complaint at the Sagwara police station on 21 July. According to the complaint, Hakraji Patidar had been seeking a suitable marriage alliance for his son, Kishore, who was facing difficulties in finding a bride. Taking advantage of the family's situation, Sandeep Matre, a resident of Arouli village in Nagpur district of Maharashtra, approached them with an assurance to arrange a match.
Broker Sandeep Matre demanded Rs 3.50 lakh to facilitate the wedding. Once the financial transaction was finalized, Sandeep brought Ashwini, daughter of Sudhakar Bawne and a resident of Maharashtra, to Rajasthan. The marriage between Kishore and Ashwini was solemnized shortly thereafter in the presence of relatives and community members.
Fake Illness Pretext and Sudden Disappearance
Following the wedding ceremony, Ashwini resided at her marital home for a brief period. Soon after, she began complaining of ill health as part of a calculated plan. Citing her illness, she expressed a desire to visit her parents' home in Maharashtra and left the village. When the groom's family subsequently requested her to return, she flatly refused to come back to her marital house.
Growing suspicious, members of the victim's family traveled to Maharashtra to locate her, only to find that Ashwini was missing from her parental home as well. Calculating the upfront broker fee of Rs 3.50 lakh alongside expenditures on custom jewelry, attire, and wedding arrangements, the victim's family suffered a total monetary loss of Rs 8 lakh.
Cyber Location Tracing and Broader Investigation
Under the supervision of Sagwara Station House Officer (CI) Manish Kumar, police initiated a detailed probe into the incident. Utilizing cyber forensics and technical surveillance, the investigative team successfully traced the location of the suspects in Maharashtra. A police team dispatched from Sagwara raided the targeted location and apprehended both Ashwini and broker Sandeep Matre.
Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Nepal Singh, who is investigating the case, disclosed the modus operandi of the network. Investigations revealed that Sandeep Matre recruited local women by promising them monetary incentives to participate in staged marriages. He then targeted unmarried men and their families who were eagerly seeking marriage alliances, extracting substantial sums of money from them. The bride would stay at the groom's residence for a short period before fleeing with money and jewelry at an opportune moment. Police are currently interrogating the arrested duo to uncover additional fraudulent activities conducted by this gang.
