On 24/5, around 8 a.m., 42 men and their families from Bhopal, Indore, and neighboring districts traveled hundreds of kilometers to Dewas town in Madhya Pradesh state to attend a mass wedding ceremony.
The men carried boxes of sweets, some dressed in sherwani, traditional Indian wedding attire, and wore marigold garlands. The organizers had promised a comprehensive service, including finding single brides and setting up a wedding tent near Mata Tekri temple.
However, by 10 p.m., the brides had not appeared. Realizing there was no officiant and no wedding as promised, all attendees went to the local police station to file a report.
According to family testimonies, the scam group collected 12,000 to 20,000 rupees (3,3-5,5 million VND) in brokerage fees from each man. The group had promised to arrange marriages for the 42 grooms with girls from the Matru Chhaya Ashram orphanage in Indore.
The gender imbalance in India, driven by a male-preference ideology, makes it challenging for many men in states like Madhya Pradesh to find partners. Men in rural areas or with limited economic means often struggle to marry locally, compelling them to pay substantial sums to marriage brokerage networks.
Exploiting this vulnerability, the fraudsters orchestrated a wedding scenario, promising to hand over dowries after the ceremony to build trust. They sent photos of the supposed brides via the WhatsApp application, but police later confirmed these images were downloaded from social media.
"Many times we asked for photos, they always sent downloaded photos from the internet," said victim Rahul Meena.
Victim Ashok revealed that the organizers had instructed families not to perform traditional pre-wedding rituals, such as dyeing hands with turmeric powder or applying henna. The group pledged to provide all necessary ceremonial attire and rituals once the groom's family arrived at the venue.
Following the victims' reports, Regional Police Sumit Agarwal launched an investigation and arrested three individuals: Mukesh Bairagi, Sunita, and Narsingh Das Bairagi.
Mukesh confessed that his brother, Dinesh Das Bairagi, who resides in Indore, was directly responsible for arranging the marriages. When the families reached Dewas, Dinesh called but immediately disconnected. Narsingh Das Bairagi, Mukesh's father-in-law, acted as the intermediary connecting the families with the organizing group.
Regional Police Chief Sumit Agarwal stated that authorities have initiated a case and are actively searching for the remaining individuals involved in the network.
Ngoc Ngan (According to Indian Express, Times of India)
