Bachelors taken for a ride in UP

Bussiness on sex-ratio

Cashing in on the phenomenon, a new group of fraudsters, including women, are on the prowl in Mainpuri, Etah, Ferozabad, Agra, Auriaya, Etawah and Jalaun districts where the number of girls is abysmally low. They promise to arrange brides and extract a heavy sum from bachelors and their families before enacting a vanishing act to trap another hapless youth.  In these districts, the number of females per 1,000 males is around 850 as a result of which the families have been experiencing difficulties in getting their young boys married.

The gangs charge anywhere between Rs 25,000 and Rs 40,000 depending on the “physical appearance” of the bride-to-be.

The matter came to light after a police team recently nabbed two girls, said to be the members of the gang, from a bus station in Kanpur town.

During interrogation, they revealed that they work under Ghazipur-based Nandu Prasad and Varanasi-based Sundari.

Nandu used to talk to the boys' families while Sundari lured the girls to join the money-spinning business.

“The gang members show the photograph of the prospective bride to the boy's family and upon being selected take token advance for further talks with the bride's family.
The girl is then sent to meet the boy's family for final approval and after that the entire amount is taken from them,” police sources said.

In many cases, the prospective brides never appear thereafter. In some cases, the marriages do take place, but the brides, as per the plan, pick up quarrel with their husbands after a few days and desert them.

According to the 2001 census, sex ratio in Uttar Pradesh stood at 898 while the national average 933.