The whole family was shocked when a mother in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, eloped with her daughter’s fiancé ten days before the wedding. The event, which happened in a hamlet under the control of the Madrak police station, immediately attracted notice because of its peculiar turn.

On April 16, Shivani, the soon-to-be bride, was scheduled to wed Rahul. Relatives had started to arrive, invitations had been delivered, and wedding preparations were well on. According to an NDTV story, her own mother, Anita, fled with her prospective son-in-law, shocking everyone in the process.

Anita allegedly stole jewels valued at over Rs 5 lakh and Rs 3.5 lakh in cash from the family’s house in addition to eloping. “Not even Rs 10 remains after my mother took everything. Shivani, who was devastated, said, “We never expected this. She used to speak to Rahul a lot over the past few months.”

Her father, Jitendra Kumar, who owns a company in Bengaluru, claimed to have seen Anita conversing with Rahul for extended periods of time—up to 22 hours a day at times. But because the wedding was approaching, he decided to remain quiet. Although I had my doubts, I didn’t want to stir any trouble before the wedding. He said, “Now she’s gone with him and taken everything we had.”

Rahul and Anita have both turned off their phones, Kumar said. Rahul reportedly said, “You troubled your wife for 20 years,” when he attempted to contact them. Now forget about her.

The local police have verified that a case has been lodged and an investigation is in progress after the family submitted a missing person’s report. The family has been reassured by authorities that both Rahul and Anita are being sought.