In a major breakthrough, the Uttar Pradesh police have dismantled a marriage scam racket operating in Banda district. On Wednesday, police arrested four accused, including two women, who had been tricking single men into marrying a woman, only to steal cash and jewelry from their homes after the wedding.
The accused have been identified as Poonam, Sanjana Gupta, Vimalesh Verma, and Dharmendra Prajapati. According to police officials, Poonam played the role of the bride, while Sanjana Gupta acted as her mother. The men, Vimalesh Verma and Dharmendra Prajapati, scouted for single men, promising them a bride in exchange for a payment of Rs 1.5 lakh to arrange a marriage. The wedding took place in a simple court ceremony, after which the bride would visit the groom’s home.
Once inside, Poonam would steal cash and jewelry from the household and then flee. The gang is suspected of committing similar crimes at least six times before their arrest.
The gang’s latest victim, Shankar Upadhyay, became suspicious during the process. He was approached by Vimalesh, who offered to find him a bride for a fee of Rs 1.5 lakh. However, when Upadhyay grew uneasy and requested to see their Aadhaar cards, he began to suspect something was wrong. When he refused to proceed with the marriage, the gang threatened to harm him and frame him in false cases.
Following Upadhyay’s complaint, the police acted quickly and arrested the four suspects. Banda’s Additional Police Superintendent, Shiv Raj, confirmed the arrests and stated that the police were investigating to uncover the full extent of the scam, including identifying additional victims and potential members of the gang.
