Bride decamps with cash, jewellery

A newly-wed bride decamped with cash, jewellery and other valuables barely a day after her marriage.

The incident took place last week at Bhabua in Bihar's Rohtas district, but the matter came to light on Sunday when a case was lodged at the Bhabua police station against the absconding bride.

According to a local daily, septuagenarian Sheela Devi of Bhabua arranged her 35-year-old son Pankaj's marriage with Sangeeta, barely in her mid-20s.

The marriage was solemnised in a simple way at a local temple where Pankaj and Sangeeta exchanged garlands and took the wedding vows.

When the guests left after the function, Sangeeta and Pankaj were asked to go to their room. But the bride refused to share the room with her husband on the pretext that she was menstruating.

The next morning, the mother-in-law was in for a rude shock when she found that the bride had decamped with cash — which was kept in the cupboard to payment of the reception function — jewellery and other valuables worth several lakhs.

As the news spread like wild fire, Sheela's relatives, who had helped negotiate the marriage, were summoned. But they pleaded ignorance. It was later found that Sangeeta was an orphan who lived with her distant family.

An FIR was registered at the Bhabua police station making the bride the prime accused. "On the basis of the statement made by the groom's mother, we have registered a case," said the station house officer of the Bhabua police station Satyendra Ram.

"I am completely ruined as I had taken loan for my son's wedding," the groom’s mother said.