RAJKOT: Five fraudsters, including a woman posing as a bride, were arrested from a marriage venue at Kothariya on Sunday. This gang, hailing from
Vapi taluka of Valsad district, duped several prospective grooms into false marriages. The arrests were made after a tip-off of one such duped groom.
According to Rajkot (taluka) police, the gang took money to arrange the alliance right up to the ceremony. The bride then lived with the husband for a few months before flee taking away with ornaments and cash. Police have booked these five under IPC 420, 406 and 114 and will present them in the court for remand on Sunday evening.
Officials of taluka police who went to Kothariya said, they were intimated of the marriage by Manish Dobariaya of Rajaram society on Sant Kabir road. Manish married Bhoomika alias Vijata Khandare a year ago. For this marriage, he was approached by Chaya Patel of Vapi, to whom he paid Rs 40,000. Dobariaya got married and Bhoomika lived with him for six months, before disappearing one night.
According to Dobariaya, she went and got married to a youth from Kutch some months ago and fled from there as well. From both houses, she stole ornaments and cash.
“Manish got information that the same woman was to get married to Mukesh Patel of Kothariya and alerted police. We reached the venue and caught her red-handed,” said Narmada Savaniya, police sub-inspector of taluka police. Police found that the gang had charged Rs 1 lakh from Patel for this marriage.
“Police also Bhoomika’s accomplices, Ramesh Dhakal, Juvli Mangal, Parul Babu and Parul’s husband Pravin, all hailing from Vapi, who were also attending the marriage,” said Savaniya. Chaya Patel, the woman who arranged Dobariaya’s marriage is also in custody of Gandhigram police. Gandhigram police took custody of her from Surat police, who had caught her some time ago on a similar offence.
“This gang has been systematically operating and taking advantage of people who want to get married. We are looking for couple of members of this gang, who have cheated people like this in the past,” said Savaniya.
