Police in Bihar's Rohtas district have cracked down on a sophisticated interstate fake marriage racket that preyed on vulnerable, middle-aged men from other states, swindling them out of lakhs of rupees through elaborate sham weddings.
Modus Operandi of the Fraudulent Gang
The criminal network operated by first contacting potential victims over the phone. After finalizing a match, they would arrange symbolic wedding ceremonies, either in court or at temples. Forged Aadhaar cards and manipulated identity documents were used to legitimize the brides' fake identities. Once the agreed-upon payment—often running into several lakhs—was handed over via cash or online transfer, the bride and her associates would vanish under various pretexts.
In the districts of Rohtas and Kaimur alone, more than a dozen such fraudulent marriage cases have been registered in the past year, pointing to a widespread and organized crime ring.
Recent Case Leads to Arrests
The latest incident came to light when Harchand Ram, a resident of Jalore district in Rajasthan, filed a First Information Report (FIR) at the Nauhatta police station on December 28. He reported marrying a woman named Anjali Kumari at the Sasaram court on December 27 and paying nearly Rs 3 lakh to her and her associates.
According to the complaint, the bride escaped from Sasaram railway station on a motorcycle, claiming she needed to use the bathroom. Police verification later confirmed the address on her Aadhaar card was completely false.
Acting swiftly, a special investigation team was formed. Saroj Devi, the alleged mastermind from Sisrit village, was arrested on December 29. Based on her information, the woman posing as the bride, Anjali Kumari, a resident of Karwandia village, was apprehended on December 30. Police recovered Rs 10,800 in cash and two mobile phones from the accused.
A Wider Interstate Network Uncovered
Rohtas Superintendent of Police, Roshan Kumar, stated that several similar cases have been registered against the gang across different police stations. He revealed that a previous complaint involved a groom from Morena district in Madhya Pradesh who was cheated of Rs 2.5 lakh, confirming the racket's interstate reach.
This is not an isolated bust. On June 10, police in Sasaram had arrested three individuals from another fake marriage gang following a complaint by another man from Morena.
The problem extends to neighbouring districts as well. In Kaimur district, a groom from Hariya was left in shock after his new bride was allegedly abducted during their return journey, only to later discover she was part of a criminal gang running a similar scam.
A senior police officer, speaking anonymously, linked the rise in such crimes to the skewed sex ratios in states like Rajasthan, Haryana, and Madhya Pradesh. This demographic challenge makes middle-aged and elderly unmarried men particularly desperate and vulnerable to such predatory schemes.
The bust in Sasaram highlights a growing trend of matrimonial fraud and underscores the need for greater vigilance, especially when marriages are arranged through unverified channels.
