After band, baja and procession, direct ’emergency exit’! Horrific expose of ‘Luteri Dulhan’ gang preying on single men in 3 states. Kota police caught 8 vicious thugs, the secret of being already married was hidden behind the veil!
quota: A magnificent wedding hall, resonating clarinets, music of the band, a bride sitting with a veil of shame on her face and a groom weaving beautiful dreams of his new life. At first glance, it seems to be a beautiful picture of a typical Indian wedding, but behind it was hidden a horrifying conspiracy, which directly beats the script of a big thriller film. Under ‘Operation Criminal Dusting’, Kota Police has exposed one such high-profile and vicious ‘Luteri Dulhan’ gang, whose network was spread in three states. By arresting eight vicious members of this gang, the police have ended a huge business model running in the name of marriage.
The web of brokers and the mystery of ‘matchmaking fees’ worth lakhs
The working style of this gang was very systematic and professional. The brokers of this gang, spread from Kota’s Ramganj Mandi to Jharkhand’s Dhanbad, used to look for weak, lonely or elderly bachelor men of the society, who were looking for a life partner for a long time. These soft-talking brokers used to deceive the victims by promising them that they would find a ‘perfect’ bride for them. But the promise of this happy future came at a steep price – ₹1 lakh to ₹2 lakh in cash in the form of so-called ‘matchmaking fees’. These men, desperate for marriage, would unsuspectingly hand over their hard-earned money into the hands of these brokers, completely unaware that they were buying themselves a trap.
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The truth behind the veil: already married ‘fake brides’
When the matter of money was settled, then the entry of the ‘Shying Bride’ took place. But the most shocking and disgusting aspect of this game was that the girls who were introduced to the victims were not virgins but were already married. She was an active member of this gang, whose job was only to pretend to be married. As soon as a grand, drama-filled wedding ceremony was over and huge sums of money changed hands, the gang members would divide the money equally among themselves. The real game started after the farewell, when the bride reached her new in-laws’ house.
That ‘choreographed exit’: one false call and disappearing forever
Only a few days passed after the marriage when the mask of innocence was removed from the face of the new bride. Suddenly one day she would make a well-thought-out excuse of ‘family emergency’. Sometimes she would pretend to cry, citing sudden serious illness of her parents or some major accident. The sad and worried groom believed his wife’s words and sent her away. But this farewell would prove to be the last. That bride never returned. What was left behind was a confused groom, an empty house and a feeling of being cheated. Due to fear of stigma and embarrassment in the society, many victims were initially unable to even muster the courage to go to the police.
Trap laid in 3 states: How did ‘Masterminds’ end?
The end of this gang began when on July 13 and 16, two duped grooms gathered courage and lodged a complaint at Ramganj Mandi police station in Kota Rural. The police, led by Kota Superintendent of Police (SP) Sujit Shankar and ASP Ramkalyan Meena, wove a special trap. As the police investigation progressed, the shocking logistics of this interstate network came to light. Police arrested Lali Kumari, Kumari, Poonam Bagh, Sudhir Kumar and Rohit Bagh from Dhanbad, Jharkhand. The arrest of Bhura Lal from Jhalawar exposed the local connections of this gang. After this, the links kept getting connected and Suresh Kumar from Rajgarh in Madhya Pradesh and Rupesh Kumar from Aurangabad in Bihar were also put behind the bars.
5 Victims and fraud worth lakhs: Are there many more secrets yet to be revealed?
During interrogation, this vicious gang has confessed that till now they have made at least five men their victims in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. These include extorting a huge amount of ₹ 1 lakh from Suresh Patidar, ₹ 1 lakh from Deepak Meena, ₹ 1.10 lakh from Tinku Singh, ₹ 1.50 lakh from Satyanarayan and ₹ 1.10 lakh from Dhanraj Barber. Police have registered a case against all the accused under serious sections of cheating and criminal conspiracy under the Indian Justice Code (BNS). At present all the suspects are on police remand and their bank accounts and financial transactions are being closely investigated. The police suspect that many more innocent people may also be trapped in the matrimonial trap of this gang, whose investigation is underway to uncover their secrets.