31-year-old Ajaysinh Solanki made a shocking discovery 10 days after tying the knot: his cash, gold, and even his wife had vanished without a trace. Filing a complaint on March 8, he initiated an investigation that led authorities to uncover the ‘looteri gang,’ a deceitful group preying on vulnerable men in pursuit of marriage.
From Bridal Search to Betrayal
After years of questing for a bride, Solanki sought his friend’s aid in finding a suitable match. However, this led to an unfortunate turn of events when the friend connected with someone known as Vaja for matchmaking assistance. Little did they know, Narsinh Vaja was affiliated with the deceptive ‘Looteri dulhan’ gang.
Vaja presented photos of two potential suitors, among whom Solanki favored one named Rinkle Pandya. Unbeknownst to Solanki, ‘Rinkle Pandya’ was actually Kausar Bano, who had assumed a false identity and fabricated documents accordingly.
Solanki and ‘Rinkle Pandya’ entered into wedlock and formalized their marriage through official registration at the Bantva gram panchayat in Amreli district. This was facilitated by the submission of notarized forged documents provided by the woman.
Solanki paid a substantial amount, exceeding Rs 1 lakh, for the services of finding a suitable match and arranging the marriage.
A Sophisticated Deception
Just 10 days after tying the knot, Solanki’s bride vanished along with various valuables, prompting him to file a report on March 8. Following this, the Gir-Somnath’s Local Crime Branch (LCB) initiated an investigation, as reported by TOI, and successfully tracked down the culprits based on information regarding their whereabouts.
Apart from Vaja and Kausar Bano, the involved individuals were identified as Muskan Mirza, Shamin alias Seema Joshi, Nagdev Hiralal, and Muskan’s husband, Riyaz, believed to be the mastermind behind the scheme.
Vaja, Muskan, Hiralal, and Shamim operated as agents actively seeking out grooms in pursuit of marriage opportunities.
“According to Arvindsinh Jadeja, the in-charge police inspector of LCB, Riyaz was responsible for forging Aadhar cards and school leaving certificates of gang members, altering their names and religious affiliations,”
“He elaborated that their method involved targeting young men in dire need of brides, extracting commission fees and marriage arrangement expenses from them. The woman would then stay with the groom briefly before absconding from his residence.”
“All the implicated individuals have been captured and are confronting charges under various sections of the IPC concerning cheating, forgery, criminal conspiracy, and related offenses. Nevertheless, Riyaz is still evading authorities.”