Fake marriage gang arrested in Maharashtra

A 35-year-old woman, who married a farmer’s son and fled just three days after the wedding, has been arrested along with two accomplices and a marriage broker for cheating the groom’s family of Rs 2.5 lakh. The Gubbi police in Tumakuru district are now receiving calls from people from Karnataka and Maharashtra who report that they have been cheated in a similar manner by the same gang.

Gubbi police have confirmed that they have information on four more marriage scam cases involving the same gang in the last three years. The suspects include the bride, Lakshmi Balasaheb Janakara, alias Komala, and 40-year-old matchmaker B Lakshmi, both residents of Kolhapur, Maharashtra.

Other suspects include 45-year-old Siddappa and his accomplice Lakshmi Shambhulinga Kubusada from Hubballi. Police are also looking for another man named Vijay, who had posed as Komala’s brother, the Times Of India reported on Sunday.

The scam was exposed when farmer Palakshaiah filed a complaint with the Gubbi police in November 2023, accusing Komala and others of cheating under the guise of marriage.

Palakshaiah’s son Dayananda and Komala got married in October 2023. Palakshaiah’s friend Basavaraju gave him the contact details of a matchmaker named Lakshmi, who had introduced Komala as an orphan.

Komala and her helpers visited Palakshaiah to finalize the wedding in August 2023. Siddappa and Lakshmi Shambhulinga, who claimed to be Komala’s maternal uncle and aunt, were also present. Palakshaiah paid Lakshmi around Rs 2.5 lakh as brokerage fee and to cover the cost of a sari and jewellery for the wedding. In addition, Palakshaiah bought a gold mangalsutra and 16-gram earrings for his daughter-in-law, TOI reported.

Komala made her way to Hubballi claiming that it was customary for the bride to return to her parents’ house three days after the wedding, after which she became unreachable and her phone was switched off.

“I went to Hubballi and inquired with the realtor Lakshmi. She protested her innocence. Then I visited Siddappa’s house and to my shock, it was already vacated. Only then did I learn that Siddappa was not Komala’s maternal uncle. When I spoke to other neighbours, I came to know that this was the work of a professional gang who cheat people on the pretext of marriage,” Palakshaiah’s complaint said, TOI reported.

A special team was formed to catch the gang. However, the realtor Lakshmi was also unavailable at that time. The gang had sought refuge in North Karnataka and Maharashtra.

Police officials recently found that Komala had married another person just four days ago in Miraj district of Maharashtra.