Fake marriage racket dupes 42 grooms for mass wedding:Brides never arrived after families waited till midnight

A major marriage fraud has surfaced in Madhya Pradesh’s Dewas district, where alleged conmen cheated 42 families by promising marriages with girls from an orphanage in Indore. The accused reportedly collected between ₹12,000 and ₹20,000 from each groom’s family after assuring them that a mass wedding ceremony would be organised. Families from different districts of Madhya Pradesh were called to Dewas on Sunday for the event, but the brides never arrived. The incident triggered chaos and protests at the venue after families waited until late night without any sign of the brides. Families kept waiting from morning till night According to the victims, they reached the venue around 8 am, where organisers Mukesh Bairagi and his wife Sunita met them. The couple repeatedly claimed that the brides were on their way from Indore and would arrive shortly. However, by 10 pm, no bride had reached the venue and the organisers allegedly continued making excuses. Angry family members eventually created a ruckus, following which police arrived at the spot and took Mukesh Bairagi, Sunita and several affected families to the police station for questioning. Model photos sent through mobile phones Complainant Rahul Meena, a resident of Harniyakalan in Dewas, said the organisers had collected ₹2,500 each as registration fees. He alleged that they were promised marriages with girls from Indore’s Matra Chhaya Ashram. When families asked for photographs of the brides, the accused allegedly downloaded pictures of models from social media and sent them through mobile phones. Rahul said the organisers had instructed them to arrive in Dewas on April 24 and informed them that the mass marriage ceremony would take place on April 25. The accused also promised dowry items and wedding arrangements. “When we arrived here, nobody was available and their phones were switched off,” Rahul alleged. Grooms told not to wear wedding attire Another groom, Ashok, said he paid ₹12,000 for the marriage arrangement. He claimed the organisers instructed him to arrive in ordinary clothes, assuring him that wedding attire and all rituals would be arranged at the venue itself. According to Ashok, the organisers even told families not to perform traditional pre-wedding rituals such as turmeric and mehendi ceremonies. Wedding ceremony was supposed to be held at Mata Tekri temple Omprakash Prajapati, who came from Bhopal, said the organisers told them the marriage ceremony would take place at Mata Tekri Temple in Dewas. “We selected the bride based on photographs sent to us on mobile phones,” he said. Another family member, Rajkumari, said they had come to Dewas to arrange the marriage of her brother Rohit. “All documents were submitted online. After reaching here, we were told that a woman organiser was arriving, but nobody came till midnight,” she said. Victims also claimed that many grooms had hired cars and invited relatives and guests for the ceremony. Four accused named, two arrested During police questioning, Mukesh Bairagi allegedly claimed that his elder brother Dinesh Das Bairagi, who works in Indore, had informed him about arranging marriages for girls from an orphanage. Mukesh said Dinesh provided him with contact numbers of prospective grooms and their families. He further claimed that after the families reached Dewas, he repeatedly contacted Dinesh, who kept saying he was arriving with the brides. Later, his phone was switched off. Mukesh also alleged that his father-in-law, Narsingh Das Bairagi, was involved in connecting families with the organisers. Police have now registered a case against Mukesh Bairagi, Sunita Bairagi, Dinesh Bairagi and Narsingh Das Bairagi. Mukesh and Sunita have been arrested, while police teams have been sent to search for Dinesh and Narsingh Das.