Brides garlanding themselves? Mass wedding fraud unearthed in UP
More than 550 couples got married at the event, though it later emerged that several of them were paid to pose as brides and grooms
A mass wedding fraud has been unearthed in Uttar Pradesh with the arrest of 15 people, including two government officials, for their alleged involvement in the case.
The scam came to light after a video showing brides at a mass wedding event garlanding themselves went viral on social media. Visuals also show some men dressed as grooms hiding their faces. The community wedding was held in Ballia district of Uttar Pradesh on January 25, as per an NDTV report.
Officials said more than 550 couples got married at the event. However, it later emerged that several of them were paid to pose as brides and grooms. Both men and women were paid anywhere from Rs 500 and Rs 2,000 for posing as brides and grooms, alleged a local resident. “Some women were without grooms. They were wearing the ‘varmala’ (garland) themselves. We came to know that people are being paid to pose as bride and groom,” said Vimal Kumar Pathak.
A 19-year-old man told NDTV that he was offered money to pose as a groom. “I went there to see the wedding. They made me sit there. They said that they will give me money. Many were being made to sit,” said Raj Kumar.
BJP MLA Ketki Singh was the chief guest at the community wedding. On being asked about the involvement of the government officials in the alleged fraud, Singh said, “They informed me just two days before the event. I had suspected there was something fishy. But now a complete investigation is being done.”
According to the government website, the government provides Rs 51,000 under this scheme, of which Rs 35,000 goes to the girl, Rs 10,000 for purchasing wedding material and Rs 6,000 for the event.
Officials said this scam was unearthed before any money could be transferred to the accused. “We immediately constituted a three-member panel to investigate the matter and verify all the beneficiaries. Till the time the complete investigation is not done, no benefits will be transferred to beneficiaries,” they said.
