Around half a dozen men held street demonstrations in Srinagar on Thursday against a woman from the Pir Panjal valley’s Rajouri district, whom they accuse of marrying multiple men and later decamping with their gold and money. The number of such victims is only growing with each passing day.
The J&K Police have lodged a First Information Report (FIR) under Section 420 and 120B of the Indian Penal Code in central Kashmir’s Budgam. “We received a complaint from a local resident that he was duped by the woman after they were married for a couple of months. Many men have now come forward with the same allegations. We are investigating the matter,” Gulam Mohiuddin, Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) of Khan Sahib, Budgam, told The Hindu.
The police had to release the accused after she produced an anticipatory bail on Friday. However, a middleman from Budgam’s Khan Sahib area, who helped in arranging the marriage with the victim has been arrested. Police officials said the accused has not admitted to knowing any of the “grooms”.
Mohammed Altaf Mir, one the victims from Budgam, alleged that the bride was introduced to him by a middleman. “It’s a gang. The middlemen introduce the woman with different names and get them married to men from Kashmir. After the marriage, the bride vanishes from the house on one pretext or the other with cash and gold,” Mr. Mir said.
The woman has introduced herself as Shaheena, Zaheena etc., and the marriage ceremonies were allegedly attended by her “family members” too, the men said.
She is accused of marrying more than two dozen men from Kashmir. However, the police are yet to establish the complete list of victims. Around six men held demonstrations in Srinagar’s Press Colony on Thursday. “We want action against her so that no man is cheated in the future,” another victim said.
Muslims have a contract marriage and mehr, an amount fixed at the time of wedding, is to be paid by the groom to the bride. The victims allege she would fix a “handsome amount” as mehr and within weeks decamp with the money and gold. Most victims alleged that they were cheated of ₹4-6 lakh by the woman and her gang. “We are tricked into marrying her by the middlemen,” another man from Budgam said.
Abid Zahoor Andrabi, a lawyer pleading the case of a duped man from Budgam, said, “A big inter-district gang seems to be involved.” The victims also include elderly and disabled men, police said.
