At around 8 a.m. on May 24, the men and their families traveled hundreds of kilometers to Dewas City in Madhya Pradesh State to attend the ceremony, the Times of India reported.
The men brought boxes of sweet, with some already dressed in sherwanis, a traditional Indian wedding attire, and marigold garlands. The wedding organizers had earlier promised a full wedding package, including finding unmarried brides and setting up the wedding venue near the Mata Tekri temple.
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Two people in traditional attire during an Indian wedding ceremony. Illustration photo from Pexels |
When no brides appeared and no ceremony took place by midnight, the families went to a local police station to report the scam.
According to the families, the organizers collected between 12,000 and 20,000 rupees (US$140-230) in brokerage fees from each groom. They also promised to arrange marriages with women from the Matru Chhaya Ashram orphanage in Indore, according to local outlet Indian Express.
Police said the group created a fake wedding plan and promised dowries after the ceremony to gain the families’ trust. Photos of prospective brides were sent through WhatsApp but investigators later found the images had been taken from social media.
“When we asked for photographs, the organisers sent us pictures of models downloaded from social media,”, one of the grooms, Rahul Meena, said.
Another victim, Ashok, said the organizers instructed them to “come in plain clothes because the groom’s attire and all wedding rituals would be arranged there itself.”
After receiving the complaints, police chief Sumit Agarwal launched an investigation and arrested three suspects identified as Mukesh Bairagi, Sunita and Narsingh Das Bairagi. Sumit said authorities had opened a criminal case and were searching for other members of the network.
