Two women arrested for marrying, looting Haryana, Rajasthan youths

VARANASI: Another gang involved in trapping Haryana and Rajasthan youths by promising them suitable brides and then looting them was exposed with the arrest of two women by Chaubeypur police in Varanasi on Monday.
Earlier, another gang was busted on June 15 while members of one more gang were arrested in February. All these gangs were operated by men or women of Chandauli.
Deputy commissioner of police Varuna zone Amit Kumar said that Chaubeypur cops succeeded in arresting a woman, Khushbu Kumari (20), of Pandeypur along with another woman Antia (22) of Sarnath. Apart from bridal lehenga, sari, bangles, makeup and ornamentation items, the cops also recovered a gold mangalsutra and silver jewellery from the duo.
During interrogation they divulged that Manish Taneja of Mughalsarai and Munna Tiwari of Baburi in Chandauli district were their gang leaders. Antima’s husband is also an active member of this gang. Taneja and Tiwari used to target clients seeking brides to marry in states like Haryana and Rajasthan. This time Taneja had found Rajkumar of Hisar district in Haryana. As per the deal finalised by Taneja, the bridegroom from Haryana had paid Rs 1.50 lakh apart from dress, ornaments and other articles for the bride.
On June 16, Rajkumar was called at the home of one Ramashankar Prajapati in Rustampur village to marry Khushbu while Antima played the role of her aunt.
Following the farewell of the bride and groom, they reached Varanasi Cantt railway station. At the railway station, Khushbu dodged Rajkumar in the name of going to the toilet and fled. After searching her at many places, Rajkumar reported the matter to the police. Acting promptly, the cops nabbed both the women on Monday. However, Taneja, Tiwari and other members of the gang were absconding.
Khushbu and Antima said that as per the deal they had to be paid Rs 20,000 and Rs 10,000, respectively, by Taneja, but the latter did not give a cash amount to them.
The DCP said that efforts were being made to nab Taneja and other members of this gang.
The cops are searching Taneja’s gang members after this incident but many gangs especially from Chandauli are finding soft targets. On June 16, cops had arrested five including Hevanti and Udaynarain of Saiyyedraja in Chandauli with a smartphone, silver and gold jewellery and cash Rs 3,061 after lodging an FIR on the complaint of Mahesh Kumar of Rajasthan.
Before it, Government Railway Police Varanasi Junction in February had arrested Gudia Yadav (21) the ‘bride’, who had fled with cash and ornaments after drugging the bridegroom Ankit Maheshwari of Ajmer in Rajasthan and his family members in Jaipur bound Marudhar Express train on February 7. The incident had come to light when Maheshwari and his family members were found lying in unconscious state in the general compartment of Marudhar Express in Etawah on February 7.
Regarding menace of these criminals, additional commissioner of police Santosh Kumar Singh said that in past decades reasons like poor male/female ratio had encouraged families from western UP, Haryana and Rajasthan to marry their boys and men to girls from poor families of east UP districts.
“Many brokers have become active in searching brides and finalising marriage deals,” he said, adding, “Investigation in most of the cases of fraud with man seeking bride, it came to light that many of the brokers indulged in forming gangs to cheat unmarried youths.”