In a disturbing trend emerging across India, matrimonial fraud is taking a dangerous turn as con artists disguised as brides and grooms are fleecing unsuspecting individuals under the pretext of marriage. The most recent arrest involves 21-year-old Gulshana Riaz Khan, who posed as multiple women—Kajal in Gujarat, Seema in Haryana, Neha in Bihar, and Sweety in Uttar Pradesh—to execute a chillingly repetitive con job.
According to the Uttar Pradesh police, Gulshana earned the nickname ‘Daku Dulhan’ after duping several men by getting married and then staging her abduction with the help of her gang. She would disappear with cash, jewellery, and valuables soon after the wedding—never to return. Her next appearance? Back on matrimonial sites, targeting her next victim.
What’s even more startling is that her husband, Riyaz Khan, a tailor in Jaunpur, was in on the act. He reportedly took a 5% cut of the loot, supporting her operations without any objection.
Ambedkar Nagar SP Keshav Kumar confirmed that the gang’s run came to an end near Kasadaha village under Baskhari police limits, where officers caught all nine members red-handed.
Not an Isolated Case
Gulshana’s arrest adds to a growing list of fraudsters across the country:
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In December last year, police apprehended Seema aka Nikki from Uttarakhand, who had been running a similar scam for over a decade. She blackmailed wealthy grooms after marriage, fabricating cases and extracting over ₹1.25 crore in settlements.
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In Greater Noida, a matchmaking gang conned both men and women. After elaborate wedding ceremonies with fake family members, brides would vanish during the traditional ‘vidaai’ ceremony.
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In Banda, Uttar Pradesh, another woman, Poonam, duped several families by marrying men through court weddings, stealing valuables, and fleeing at the first opportunity.
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In 2023, a woman in another part of UP asked her husband for ₹1.3 lakh for her “ailing mother.” She vanished with the cash, and when the husband approached police, he discovered she had scammed another man using the same method.
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The same year in Jammu and Kashmir, Shaheen Akhtar, 30, was arrested for allegedly marrying over a dozen men and fleeing with their mehr money and gold. The arrest was made after a man named Mohammed Altaf Mar filed a complaint, leading to multiple victims coming forward with similar stories.
These alarming cases underline the urgent need for vigilance in matrimonial alliances. Despite background checks and compatibility tests, many continue to fall prey to such elaborate marriage scams.
