Woman poses as wife for 20 days, flees with lover:New bike and jewellery also taken away; 4 held in Chhindwara

A gang of fraudsters cheated a 42-year-old widower in Chhindwara by promising to arrange a second marriage and later fleeing with cash, jewellery and other belongings. Police disclosed the case on Thursday. The victim, Madhu Vishwakarma of village Simaria Sagar, was approached by the accused, who told him that since he lived alone after his first wife’s death, he should remarry. They introduced him to a woman named Sandhya. Trusting them, Madhu agreed. Sandhya began living with Madhu. He repeatedly suggested a court marriage, but the accused kept delaying it. During this period, Madhu bought sarees and jewellery for her. Boyfriend introduced as ‘brother’ Police said Sandhya stayed at Madhu’s house for about 15–20 days. She later invited her boyfriend to the house, claiming he was her younger brother. On January 10 afternoon, the two fled on Madhu’s new Hero Splendor Plus motorcycle. They took a silver chain, a mobile phone, household rations and other items. The total value of the stolen property is estimated at about ₹1.08 lakh. Fake marriage, ₹10,000 taken Investigation revealed that Balram Nagvanshi of village Kothar gained Madhu’s trust and, along with associates Shivji Tandekar and Mukesh Suryavanshi, arranged a meeting between Madhu and Sandhya on December 22, 2025, in Navegaon. The accused promised to conduct a court marriage later and took ₹10,000 from Madhu. Sandhya was sent to live with him without any legal marriage. Four arrested, one absconding After Madhu lodged a complaint at Navegaon police station on January 13, police acted swiftly. Under the supervision of Station In-charge Sub-Inspector Tarun Singh Markam, four accused—Sandhya Vishwakarma, Balram Nagvanshi, Mukesh Suryavanshi and Shivji Tandekar—were arrested within hours. Police seized ₹10,000 in cash and mobile phones from the accused. A case has been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and all four have been sent to jail. Police said the accused have previous criminal records related to theft, robbery and assault, indicating an organised fraud racket. Sandhya’s boyfriend, who is also involved, remains absconding, and raids are under way to trace him.