A four-person gang that planned weddings for a price and defrauded the groom's family was nabbed by the police in Maharashtra's Nagpur district, an official said on Saturday. The gang would get ₹ 50,000 from the other side and present one of their female members as the bride. He explained the gang's scheme to deceive people, saying the "bride" would then leave the groom's house the day after the wedding.

Following a complaint from Manohar Meshram (67) of Wakeshwar village in Mauda tehsil, two Pardi residents of Nagpur, Satish Deepak Hirekhan (27) and Amit Tekam, Seema (35) and Sonu (32), a mother of two, were arrested.

Seema obtained ₹ 50,000 from Sonu's family while he pretended to be the bride and wed Meshram's son Pravin on February 2. Suspicion was aroused when Sonu disappeared the following day and Seema failed to answer calls from the Meshram family. They quickly discovered there were a lot more families just like theirs.

Based on a tip, the Aroli police informed Seema that a family was seeking a wife through a common contact. He added that Sonu has a 12-year-old son and a 9-year-old daughter. On Thursday, the police set up a trap and took Seema and other gang members into custody.