Mass marriage scam in Madhya Pradesh leaves 42 men duped as brides fail to show up

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Forty-two men from several districts in Madhya Pradesh were cheated in a mass marriage scam after the promised brides failed to appear for the ceremony in Dewas district, police said. Two accused have been arrested, while two others are on the run.

The men, mostly from Vidisha, Shajapur, Bhopal and Dewas districts, gathered at the Club Ground in Dewas on Sunday, where they were told they would meet women from an orphanage in neighbouring Indore. Each paid between Rs 15,000 and Rs 25,000 to a couple who promised them marriage. However, no brides arrived.

"Pictures of girls were shared on our phones. Now we've come to know the pictures were of young models downloaded from the internet," said Bhopal resident Om Prakash Prajapati, who paid Rs 15,000.

The 42 men caught hold of the couple Mukesh Bairagi and Sunita Bairagi, who had collected the money. Mukesh alleged that his elder brother Dinesh Das Bairagi had orchestrated the entire fraud. Mukesh's father-in-law Narsingh Das Bairagi allegedly acted as an intermediary connecting the couple with unmarried men across districts.

A case of cheating has been registered, police said. Mukesh and his wife have been arrested, while efforts are underway to arrest the two other accused.

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