A major marriage fraud has been uncovered in Pune, where photos of boys and girls registered with marriage bureaus were allegedly misused to create fake profiles with changed names and castes. These manipulated profiles were then sent to families searching for potential brides and grooms. The shocking revelation also points to the direct involvement of some marriage bureau operators. Following a complaint submitted to the State Women’s Commission and its subsequent report, the Swargate Police have registered a case against three accused associated with these fraudulent marriage bureaus.
The accused have been identified as Pratibha Yogesh Tarse (Rohininagar, Panchvati, Nashik), Vidya Deshpande, and Nilesh Keshav Varhade (resident of Nashik). The complaint was lodged by Advocate Rajesh Ramchandra Belhekar (61, Maharshinagar, Pune), who was seeking a bride for his son. On March 9, 2025, Belhekar came across an advertisement by Shubharishi Marriage Bureau in a newspaper’s “Groom Wanted” section. Upon contacting the number, he initially received details and a photograph of a Maratha bride from Saswad in Pune district.
Belhekar shared his son’s photo and profile, after which he was informed that the girl’s family had shown interest. He was then asked to pay an annual membership fee of ₹3,500 online to access the bureau’s website and further contacts. However, after thinking it over, he chose not to proceed. On April 2, 2025, he noticed another advertisement by the same bureau and contacted a different mobile number, which belonged to Vidya Deshpande. She first sent details of a bride from Daund to gain his trust and later shared profiles of two brides from Katraj, Pune.
Deshpande demanded a reduced annual membership fee of ₹3,000, which Belhekar paid online. She promised to share addresses and contact details of five prospective brides but soon began avoiding follow-ups. After persistent requests, she only provided contact numbers for two brides’ mothers from Daund and Katraj. Later, Belhekar discovered that the address and contact number of another bride from Dhayari were fake. Moreover, Deshpande falsely informed him that one of the previously interested brides had rejected the proposal, exposing clear collusion within the bureau network.
Belhekar stated that after contacting multiple marriage bureaus, he realized that the same girls’ photographs were being reused under different names, confirming an organized scam. He alleged that several marriage bureaus were running rackets involving fake photos, fabricated profiles, and large-scale financial fraud. “These bureaus must be brought under strict legal and regulatory control,” he said, expressing gratitude to the State Women’s Commission for taking his complaint seriously and ensuring the registration of a criminal case against the accused.