Rohtas: Police in Dehri Nagar have busted a shocking marriage fraud in which a group of people cheated men by arranging fake weddings and then running away with cash and jewellery. The Dehri Nagar police arrested five accused, including three women, and sent them to jail. During the operation, the police recovered Rs 1.32 lakh in cash, gold jewellery such as mangalsutra, anklets and nose rings, and two mobile phones. ASP Atulesh Jha shared these details at a press conference, calling the case a well-planned fraud that targeted vulnerable men.
According to the police, the gang mainly targeted older and unmarried men from outside Bihar. These men were promised marriage and a new beginning in life. On January 2, police received information that a man from another state had been cheated of around Rs 1.40 lakh and jewellery through a fake marriage. After the wedding ceremony, the bride and her companions disappeared. Acting quickly, a special police team was formed under Dehri Nagar Station House Officer Shivendra Kumar, along with the DIU team, to trace the accused.
The investigation led to the arrest of Jaya Kumari Patel from Gori village under the Kargahar police station area. During questioning, another accused, Ragini alias Jhuni Devi, revealed that the gang used Jaya as the bride in multiple fake marriages. She also named other members of the group, including Dharmashila Devi, Abhishek Patel and Shravan Kumar. Police later arrested all of them from different locations in the Dehri Nagar subdivision. Officials said the gang would arrange a simple marriage, take money and jewellery in the name of expenses, and then flee soon after.
Two men from Rajasthan fell victim to this scam within just one week. Manoj Soni from Bhilwara told police that he married Jaya Kumari Patel at a temple on January 2 and was later cheated of about Rs 1.40 lakh and jewellery. Earlier, on December 30, another victim, Harchand Ram from Jalore district, filed a complaint saying he lost nearly Rs 3 lakh in a similar fake marriage. Police believe there may be more victims and have urged people to be cautious, especially when marriage proposals come from unknown sources.
