The community wedding was held on January 25 at Balia in Uttar Pradesh.
New Delhi/Balia:
Fifteen people, including two government officials, have been arrested in Uttar Pradesh for their alleged involvement in large-scale marriage fraud.
The scam was exposed after a video of brides at a mass wedding event hurling themselves went viral on social media. The footage also shows some men dressed as grooms and hiding their faces.
The community wedding was held on January 25 in Balia district of Uttar Pradesh.
Officials say about 568 couples were married at the event, but it later emerged that several couples were paid to pose as brides and grooms.
A local resident alleged that both men and women were paid between Rs 500 and Rs 2,000 for posing as bride and groom. “Some women had no one. They carried the varmala (garland) themselves. We found that people are paid between Rs 500 and Rs 2,000,” 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 attend the wedding. They made me sit there. They said they would give me money. Many had to sit,” said Raj Kumar.
BJP MLA Ketki Singh was the chief guest at the community wedding.
When asked about the involvement of the government officials in the alleged fraud, MS Singh said, “They informed me just two days before the event. I had suspected that something strange was going on. But now a full investigation is underway done,” she said.
According to the government website, the government is providing Rs 51,000 under this scheme, of which Rs 35,000 will go to the girl, Rs 10,000 for purchase of wedding equipment and Rs 6,000 for the event.
Officials said this scam was unearthed before any money could be transferred to the suspect. “We immediately formed a three-member committee to investigate the matter and verify all beneficiaries. Till the time the full investigation is not completed, no benefits will be transferred to the beneficiaries,” they said.
