Police in Maharajganj, Uttar Pradesh, have uncovered a fraudulent marriage racket and arrested four women accused of deceiving men through staged weddings designed to extract money and valuables.
The operation was carried out by the Sinduria Police Station team, which apprehended the accused near Chiutaha Bazaar. During the arrests, officers recovered ₹39,500 in cash along with items such as silver anklets and a mangalsutra, believed to have been obtained through the alleged scam.
According to Superintendent of Police Shakti Mohan Awasthi, the group operated in a systematic manner by arranging fake marriages, presenting women as eligible brides, and then exploiting the situation to extort cash and jewellery from unsuspecting victims.
The case came to light after a complaint by a man from Etah, who alleged that he was tricked into marrying a woman presented as unmarried. Investigations revealed that the woman was already married and had a child. The accused reportedly conducted wedding rituals at a temple to make the arrangement appear legitimate and collected nearly ₹1 lakh and valuables in the name of marriage expenses.
Midway through the ceremony, the accused allegedly became aggressive, assaulted the victim, and fled with the cash and jewellery. One of the accused, identified as Jitendra, is still absconding and is believed to have escaped with the woman posing as the bride.
Police have identified the arrested women as Sumitra, Lalti, Kajal, and Anjalika. During questioning, Lalti was identified as the alleged mastermind, with a prior criminal background. Investigators also found that another accused, who posed as the bride’s mother, pretended to be mute and deaf to gain the victim’s trust and make the deception more convincing.
All four accused have been sent to judicial custody under relevant legal provisions, and efforts are ongoing to locate and arrest the remaining suspect.
