"he wanted to give his dear girl for a marriage."
Several members of a gang have been arrested for staging a fake marriage after arranging for a British Pakistani bride to marry a man.
They claimed that the bride was British Pakistani which prompted the man to hand over the agreed sum. However, that was not true and they escaped with the money.
The gang operated in the city of Kallar Syedan, Punjab. Four of the seven suspects were arrested for taking the money and arranging for a man to marry a woman who posed as a British citizen.
Arrests were made after officers visited the city. Raids are being conducted in an attempt to arrest the other three suspects, including a woman.
The scam came to light after a family told officers that they had been conned and robbed by the gang.
Malik Nasraf Iqbal had filed a complaint and identified the gang leader as Mr Jahangir. He explained that the group presented him with a young woman named Shabana as a potential bride for his son.
Even though they claimed she was British Pakistani, it was found to be a lie. Her address also turned out to be fake.
Speaking of what took place, Mr Iqbal said:
“During 2019, I met Mr Jahangir on the bus who told me that he wanted to give his dear girl for a marriage.”
This prompted Mr Iqbal to consider her as a bride for his son Hamza Ali. He got in contact with Mr Jahangir.
Following their conversation, Mr Iqbal was invited to a meeting where the rest of the group were there including Mr Jahangir.
Iftikhar Sukhwa, Sarwah Chaudhary, Jehangir Sakna Jabar, Hameed Bangali, Ashiq Hussain and Shakeel Ahmed were the other gang members.
Mr Iqbal spoke about the meeting:
“Mr Jahangir took Rs 1.5 lakh (£750) from me for setting up the marriage with the girl named Shabana.”
“Shabana’s marriage to my son Hamza Ali was announced to be in a wedding hall in Kallar Syedan on August 31, 2019.
“The girl’s maternal uncle Mr Goltas took Rs 2.5 lakh (£1,250) from me for shopping.”
Hamza ended up getting married to Shabana. Mr Iqbal explained how much he gifted her and the group.
“For their marriage, I gave the bride five and a half ounces of gold and cash, which was fixed in the form of a right and seal, on the occasion of Rs. 3 lakhs (£1,500).”
However, Mr Iqbal found out the British Pakistani bride was a fake and the whole marriage was a scam when he was asked about the wedding documents.
He revealed: “The family was told the British Nationality of Shabana would be shown when the visa was issued. and when they would leave for the UK after marriage.
“After the marriage, the marriage contract was not given to me and it was said that the marriage contract will be submitted with the papers for Hamza, to go abroad to the UK.”
An investigation was launched and police arrested four gang members. They are searching for those who are on the run.
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