Surat, May 30 – A fake marriage scam has come to light in Surat involving a gang of women who allegedly lured men into fraudulent marriages to extort money. While such incidents were earlier more commonly reported within the Patel community, this case has emerged from the Muslim community, according to local police.
As per report, the Athwa police have arrested five women after an Ahmedabad-based youth fell victim to the gang’s trap. The complainant, Yohan Khan Pathan from Vejalpur in Ahmedabad, had recently married a woman from Surat’s Athwa area. Before the wedding, the bride’s so-called mother demanded Rs. 1 lakh claiming that the bride’s father was deceased and she needed help covering the wedding expenses. The groom complied and the marriage was conducted.
Shockingly, the day after the wedding, the bride left with her mother citing urgent work and never returned. When the groom tried to contact her, he was threatened over the phone by the bride and her accomplices. They warned him not to ask for the money back or he would be falsely implicated in a rape case. Eventually, all communication lines were blocked.
The police investigation revealed a well-organized racket involving women identified as Zarina Khatoon, Heena alias Nargisbanu, Muskaan, Sahista Banu, and Sana. Heena, operating as a marriage broker, was in touch with another agent from Ahmedabad and had coordinated the entire fraudulent setup. Sana posed as the bride, while Zarina acted as her mother. Heena arranged the marriage ceremony, which included a fake nikah.
On the wedding night itself, the bride and her alleged mother absconded with the Rs. 1 lakh. The groom later received threatening calls to stay silent. The entire operation was found to be a pre-planned scam, and the police have now arrested all five accused.
Zarina reportedly confessed during interrogation that she runs a marriage bureau and has orchestrated several similar fake weddings in the past. Authorities are now investigating the legitimacy of the nikah, including the role of the cleric who conducted it.
Police are also expanding their probe to identify other agents linked to the gang and uncover additional victims of this marriage scam. The case highlights how criminal elements are exploiting the sanctity of marriage to commit fraud, and law enforcement is determined to bring all those involved to justice.
