Mumbai Crime: 'Runaway Bride' walks away with jewellery, cash worth Rs 4 lakh 3 days after wedding

Representation pic

A 28-year-old woman got a Malad-based family to pay her Rs 1.5 lakh to marry their son, who allegedly has some intellectual disability and a stammering problem, and then ran away three days after the wedding with jewellery and cash worth Rs 4.39 lakh. Malad Police have booked the woman, Asha Gaikwad, along with Kamlesh Kadam, the agent who introduced her to the family, and Manisha Kashyap who claimed to be Asha's aunt. Cops say this is likely a part of a big racket. Asha, however, in her last call, claimed she was married and had two kids and did it only for the money.

Police sources said the complainant family owns a hospital in Malad and had been looking for a bride for their 28-year-old son. However, they were unable to find a match due to the son's stammering and disability, which prompted them to approach an agent.

In his statement to the police, the 56-year-old businessman stated that they came across an agent named Kamlesh Kadam who introduced them to one Asha Gaikwad. Asha claimed she was an orphan and was raised by her aunt Manisha Kashyap. After the family agreed, Kadam demanded Rs 10,000 for facilitating the match.

The woman was wearing all the jewellery she got at the wedding when she left the house. Representation pic

The wedding took place in a temple on March 29 in the presence of family members from both sides. The next day, Kadam again approached the businessman asking that the marriage be registered at the court, as Asha's aunt was apprehensive that the family would abandon Asha later.

However, when the families went to court to file the papers for registration, Manisha demanded Rs 1.5 lakh to sign the papers. The groom's family agreed and immediately gave her Rs 40,000 and paid the rest in multiple transactions the next day.

After this, Asha went to the groom's house and lived there for three days. On April 1, Asha, clad in all the jewellery she was given at the wedding, told the family that she was leaving to go to the market. As she did not return till late, the groom's father called her on her phone and found that it was switched off.

He also called Kadam and Kashyap, but did not get any leads. He then called Asha's number again from his wife's phone, and she answered. Asha allegedly told him that she was married, had two kids and was in dire need of money. She added that she got married at the insistence of Kadam and Manisha for the money. The groom's family then approached the police, following which an FIR was registered on Tuesday.

"We have booked three accused including two women under sections 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating), and 34 (common intention) of the IPC and are tracing the trio," said senior inspector D Ligade from Malad police station.

He added, "Looking at their modus, it seems all of them are professionals. All the documents related to them that we've found so far are probably fake. From technical analysis and their mobile data records, we are searching for them."

Rs 1.5L
Money demanded for the wedding