Man arrested in Jaipur for interstate bride trafficking, fake marriage racket

Jaipur: A 35-year-old man carrying a reward of Rs 10,000 was arrested Thursday after the Crime Branch of Rajasthan Police laid a trap at Bharat Mata Circle in Mansarovar for involvement in an interstate bride trafficking racket. The accused was later handed over to a police team from Balotra for further action.Police identified the accused as Mahavir Suthar, a resident of Uniyara in Tonk, who was allegedly involved in arranging fake marriages and selling brides as part of an organised network. He evaded arrest for a long time by frequently changing his identity, officials said.The CID special team received inputs that Mahavir was hiding in Mansarovar area. Acting on the information, a team led by SI Shailendra Sharma, along with constable Brijesh Sharma, laid a trap and arrested him.Investigations revealed that he was a key member of a gang that allegedly defrauded Magaram, a resident of Balotra, of Rs 2.50 lakh by trapping him in a fake marriage scam in Sept 2023. Police said he worked in coordination with alleged ringleader Bhanwarlal Sharma and Rahmat Khan in bride trafficking, fraud and blackmailing victims.A preliminary probe suggested that the gang's network extended to Kolkata, Assam, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand. Police are interrogating the accused to uncover the full extent of the racket.