42 grooms, 0 brides: The making of a mass marriage ceremony rip-off in Madhya Pradesh | India Information
4 min learnBhopalUp to date: Might 26, 2026 02:29 PM IST
Forty-two grooms from Madhya Pradesh turned up on their marriage ceremony day, some wearing vibrant sherwanis, marigold garlands and metal dabbas carrying sweets. However the brides by no means arrived, and the boys would later realise they’d been duped by a faux marriage ceremony rip-off.
What unfolded in Dewas on Sunday was not only a case of monetary fraud, in response to police, however a public humiliation for dozens of males who had travelled from villages and small cities throughout Dewas and neighbouring districts, believing they had been about to get married. By night, the celebration floor had became a scene of anger and disbelief as households realised they might have been trapped in an elaborate rip-off that allegedly collected lakhs of rupees by promising brides from an Indore-based orphanage.
Police officers stated preliminary investigation suggests the case entails organised dishonest beneath the pretext of marriage.
“We’ve got obtained complaints from a number of youths. The matter is being investigated severely,” Financial institution Word Press police station in-charge Preeti Katare stated. “The accused are being recognized and traced. We’re additionally verifying the claims associated to the orphanage whose identify was allegedly used.”
Every groom had paid between Rs 15,000 and Rs 25,000 to middlemen who promised to organise a “collective bridal ceremony” in Dewas. Some stated they’d first been proven pictures of potential brides on cellphones weeks earlier. Others claimed they had been assured the ladies had been from poor or orphaned backgrounds and had been keen to marry instantly.
Rahul, who travelled from Harniyakalan village, stated, “Every of us was requested to pay Rs 25,000 as a registration price. We had been informed the brides had been from Indore’s Matru Chhaya Ashram. Once we requested for pictures, the organisers despatched us footage of fashions downloaded from social media. They informed us to succeed in Dewas a day earlier than the ceremony and guaranteed us that the collective marriage ceremony would happen the subsequent morning. They even promised dowry objects. However after we reached the venue, no one was there, and all of the telephones had been ultimately switched off,” Meena stated.
Ashok, one of many grooms, stated they had been “instructed to come back in plain garments as a result of the groom’s apparel and all marriage ceremony rituals can be organized there itself”. “They particularly informed us to not apply haldi or mehendi earlier than arriving as a result of all of the rituals would occur on the venue,” he stated.
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Om Prakash, who went along with his household from Bhopalsaid they “chosen brides from the pictures that had been despatched to us on cellphones”.
“We had submitted paperwork on-line for my brother’s marriage. After we arrived, the organisers stored telling us that madam was on the best way with the brides, however no one got here till midnight,” stated Rajkumari, the sister of one of many males. “A number of grooms had employed automobiles to journey right here, and lots of households had invited family and visitors for the marriage. Everybody was left humiliated.”
A senior police officer stated the incident got here to mild on Might 24, and a dishonest case was filed. “The prime accused, Mukesh, and his spouse have been arrested. We’re gathering particulars about their modus operandi. For the reason that accused are from Vidisha district, a group has additionally been despatched there to gather additional data,” stated the officer.
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