She targeted wealthy men through matrimonial websites
In Banda, Uttar Pradesh, India, two men and two women were apprehended for orchestrating a marriage fraud targeting single men.
The gang, which had successfully executed six similar schemes, was finally caught during their seventh attempt when their intended victim grew suspicious.
They lured unmarried men with promises of marriage.
Poonam, one of the women, posed as the prospective bride, while her accomplice, Sanjana Gupta, played the role of her mother.
The two men, Vimalesh Verma and Dharmendra Prajapati, acted as matchmakers, identifying potential victims and introducing them to Poonam.
They demanded substantial sums of around INR1.5 lakh from their targets as matchmaking fees.
After arranging a simple court marriage, Poonam would move into the victim’s home.
She would then seize an opportunity to steal money and jewellery before fleeing, leaving the unsuspecting groom in shock.
The gang had managed to carry out this scheme six times before meeting their match in Shankar Upadhyay, their seventh target.
Upadhyay, a single man seeking marriage, was approached by Vimalesh, who promised to find him a suitable match for 1.5 lakh.
When he was introduced to Poonam and her supposed mother at the court, his suspicions were aroused.
He requested their Aadhaar cards to verify their identities. Observing their nervous gestures, he sensed something was amiss.
When he expressed hesitation about proceeding with the marriage, the group resorted to threats, warning him of dire consequences.
This included framing him in false legal cases or even causing him physical harm.
Despite the intimidation, Upadhyay managed to remove himself from the situation and filed a complaint with the police.
Banda’s Additional Police Superintendent, Shiv Raj, confirmed receiving his report, which detailed the gang’s tactics.
Acting swiftly, the police tracked down and arrested all four individuals involved.
Raj stated: “This gang was deceiving men under the pretence of marriage and robbing them. They have been arrested, and investigations are ongoing.”
This case comes two days after Rajasthan police arrested a woman named Seema in a similar marriage fraud case.
Seema, also known as Nikki, had been duping men into marriage for over a decade.
She targeted wealthy men through matrimonial websites, focusing on divorcees and widowers.
Over the years, she amassed INR1.25 crore by filing legal cases against her victims and settling for hefty amounts.
In 2013, she married a businessman from Agra and later filed a case against his family, securing INR75 lakh in a settlement.
In 2017, she married a software engineer in Gurugram and extracted INR10 lakh from him before parting ways.
Her latest victim, a Jaipur-based businessman, lost INR36 lakh in cash and jewellery when she fled his home shortly after their marriage.
Following a complaint, Jaipur police arrested her and uncovered her decade-long con.
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