Three women among four held in ‘looteri dulhan’ racket

Lucknow: The UP Police busted a ‘looteri dulhan' (fraud bride) gang involved in extorting cash and jewellery from grooms' families after marriage ceremonies. The Dhanpatganj police arrested four accused, including three women, and seized cash and ornaments from their possession on Friday.Circle officer of Baldirai, Ashutosh Kumar said a complaint was lodged on Feb 11 by Jagdish, a resident of Mohanpura village under Balghat police station in Karauli district of Rajasthan. He alleged that his son Rohitash's marriage was fixed through his nephew Manoj, who introduced the family to Rajpal of Mathura. Rajpal proposed an alliance with Muskan alias Suman (23), a resident of Langda Bazaar under Bhalauni police station in Deoria.
The marriage was solemnised on Feb 10 at a Durga temple in Laipar, Deoria. Soon after the wedding, the accused — identified as Sunil Kumar of Vishunpur, Shashi Bharti of Betalpur, Rani Nisha of Langda Bazaar, and the bride Suman — allegedly began demanding additional money. When the groom's family resisted, they were threatened with false criminal cases.The complainant alleged that the family paid Rs1.1 lakh and an additional Rs7,000 during the return of the wedding procession. Later, near Benipur on the Purvanchal expressway, the accused allegedly stopped the vehicle at a roadside eatery and demanded Rs64,000 more, threatening to implicate the groom in false cases of human trafficking and rape if the demand was not met.Realising they were duped, Jagdish alerted the Dhanpatganj police. Acting on the tip-off, police arrested the four accused near the Benipur underpass on Thursday.Police seized Rs19,500 in cash, two anklets, four toe rings, a red-beaded mangalsutra and a locket from their possession. An FIR was registered, and further investigation is underway to trace the wider network and identify other possible victims.According to police, the gang used forged identities to fix marriages, gain the trust of families, and then extort money and jewellery by threatening false allegations and defamation. Police said they were probing whether the gang targeted other families. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Valentine's day wishes, messages and quotes !