Gang defrauds young man in fake marriage scam, steals Rs 3 lakhs

Lokmat News Network

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

A gang tricked a young man into a fake marriage using fake Aadhaar cards, leaving him 3 lakhs poorer. The bride disappeared just a week after the wedding. A case has been filed against seven individuals at the MIDC Waluj Police Station.

Harichandra Ashok Kuber (33) (Gevrai) was looking for a bride with the help of relatives and a mediator. Last year, on March 26, a relative introduced him to Kundalik Chavan and Suryanarayan (full names unknown), who promised to arrange a marriage with a girl named Kusum. Harichandra, along with his relatives and Kundalik Chavan, went to Jogeshwari to meet the girl. Harichandra liked the girl, and her mother, Meera Giri, claimed that the girl’s father had passed away, and her uncle, Kundalik Chavan, was responsible for the wedding. Her family demanded 3 lakh rupees as dowry, with 50,000 rupees paid upfront. The next day, Kundalik Chavan, the bride Kusum, her mother Meera, and their associates went to Karmad to buy clothes and jewellery for the wedding. After shopping, they returned to Gevrai in the evening, and Harichandra and Kusum got married. After the ceremony, Harichandra's uncle Pandurang Kuber gave two and a half lakh rupees to Kundalik Chavan. Everyone went home after the wedding. Soon after, Kusum disappeared, and Harichandra realized he had been scammed. A case has been filed, and police are investigating the matter.

A week after his wedding, Harichandra noticed something off when he checked his wife Kusum's Aadhaar card and found her full name to be Kusum Ajay Chavan (resident of Watur Phata, Tal. Paratur). On April 3, Kusum's uncle called, saying her grandfather was sick and asking them to stop at Jalna on the way to Watur Phata. After some time, Kusum’s uncle arrived and told Harichandra that Kusum’s cousin had died, and the funeral was in Rajur. Harichandra became suspicious and tried to follow them, but they disappeared. Harichandra repeatedly contacted the mediator, Kundalik Chavan, asking him to send Kusum home. However, Kusum never returned, and Chavan stopped answering. When Harichandra visited Watur to inquire about Kusum, he learned no one by that name lived there, confirming his suspicions of a scam. Harichandra filed a fraud complaint at MIDC Waluj Police Station. A case has been registered against Kusum, Kundalik Chavan, his wife Sangeeta, and five others, including Kalpana Prakash Moralkar, Meera Giri, Mula, and Suryanarayan. Assistant Inspector Manoj Shinde is leading the investigation.

Gang Defrauds Several Others

Harichandra’s visit to Jogeshwari uncovered a larger scam. Kundalik Chavan and Kalpana Moralkar had used fake documents to arrange sham marriages for three other young men, defrauding them of money. They worked with accomplices to carry out the scheme, leaving several victims in the lurch.