UP bride-to-be vanishes with Rs 3.5 lakh worth jewellery moments before wedding

The wedding of Neeraj Gupta, a resident of Nawabganj in Hardoi district's Sandi, took an unexpected turn when he was waiting to register his marriage in a court in Uttar Pradesh -- the bride-to-be escaped with jewellery worth Rs 3.5 lakh that was gifted to her by Gupta's family.

Neeraj Gupta was introduced to his soon-to-be wife by a local 'baba'.

The 'baba' named Pramod brought a marriage proposal and introduced Gupta to a woman from Shahabad in the same district, according to a report by NDTV.

When Gupta showed interest, the two began talking over the phone. A month later, he agreed to marry her and informed the 'baba' about his decision.

Gupta and his family gifted the bride jewellery worth Rs 3.5 lakh during the ceremony at a temple. Following that, the couple, their families and the baba went to register the marriage in court.

At the magistrate's office, the woman and Gupta took a few photos and just before they were supposed to sign the papers to register the marriage, the woman and the 'baba' disappeared.

Gupta and his family made an attempt to look for the bride unsuccessfully. On realising that they had been deceived, the family filed a complaint at the City Kotwali police station. An investigation is underway.