Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar
A fake marriage scam, in which a bride reportedly fled in a luxury car, has surfaced in the city. A farmer’s son from Nashik district had his marriage arranged through a woman, and the bride’s aunt allegedly collected a total of Rs 3.86 lakh in cash and gold jewelry. The incident occurred on September 24, when the bride, leaving the court after registration, allegedly escaped in a high-end vehicle. Senior Police Inspector Atul Yerme said Cidco Police Station registered a case against three women on October 18.
The accused are Jyoti Gaikwad (alias Jyoti Misal, Harshnagar, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar), Maya Shinde, and Savita Shinde (Dusarbid, Sindkhed Raja tehsil, Buldhana district). The complainant family, farmers from Sinnar tehsil in Nashik, supports their household with two children. They were searching for a bride for their son Mahesh (name changed). A woman working in the fields claimed to know a suitable girl. After reviewing the girl’s photos and biodata, the family liked her. For further discussions, the woman gave them the contact number of the girl’s aunt, Jyoti Gaikwad. On September 23, Mahesh and his family visited Jyoti’s house in Cidco N-6. Jyoti, Rekha Misal, and the bride Maya were present. The accused claimed the girl’s father had died three years ago and her mother was undergoing hospital treatment. After seeing the girl and her family, the complainants approved the match. The accused demanded Rs 1.80 lakh for the mother’s treatment and jewelry. They arranged a court marriage, sending a lawyer Rs 5,000 in advance. Payments included Rs 1 lakh in cash, Rs 30,000 via phone, Rs 50,000 through friends, and Rs 1.79 lakh in gold jewelry, totaling Rs 3.86 lakh. Another Rs 10,000 was spent on clothes and gifts. On September 24, all parties gathered at the district court for marriage registration. Lawyer Talwar collected the documents and Rs 12,000 in fees. After the court procedure, the family left with the bride toward their village. While stopping at a hotel outside the city for tea, a white Scorpio without registration arrived, and the bride Maya Shinde reportedly got into the car and fled, according to the complaint.
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Complaint initially withheld due to fear of defamation
After the incident, the farmer’s family initially did not file a complaint due to fear of defamation. A few days later, police caught the gang in Kopargaon (Ahilyanagar district), who were defrauding families by showing fake marriage proposals. The complainant visited Kopargaon with relatives to identify the culprits and confirmed the women involved were the same. The family then filed a formal complaint at Cidco Police Station under Senior Inspector Atul Yerme, and a case was registered.