Hyderabad: Contract marriage menace continues, racket busted, four arrested

Four people, including two women, were arrested in Hyderabad on 26 November 2018 for their involvement in a contract marriage racket.

They were arrested from a house in Mailardevpally, while the wedding-ceremonies were still going on.

Among the four arrested, one was a Sudanese, who was the 'groom', and the other three, all residents of Hyderabad, served as marriage brokers and witnesses to the 'nikah.

The 31-year-old Sudanese, Wail Mohammed, had paid Rs. 1L to Habib the agent, for the 'bride', for a three-month contract marriage.

The wedding was subsequently organized at a house in Roshan Colony, Vattepally (Mailardevpally), Monday.

The SOT got a whiff of the same and inspected the house, where they found the contract marriage was already underway.

Wail, Jahanuma-resident Habeeb, Shamem and Shabana were subsequently nabbed and cops also seized Wail's passport, two fake marriage agreements, one stamp pad, Rs. 1.1 lakh cash and $300.

Contract marriages aren't a new thing in the old city of Hyderabad.

It's rather a pretty prevalent practice, involving 'agents', who are city residents and Gulf nationals, who arrive in India on visit visa. These parties lure poor families and convince them to marry off their daughters against a huge sum.

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After the 'nikah' gets done, the new helpless and hapless 'bride' is trafficked out of the country on forged documents arranged by the agent.