Fake Aadhaar used to marry off minor girl in Georai; brokers flee with Rs 2.5 lakh

A gang of fraudsters has been exposed in Georai in Beed district. In the name of arranging a marriage, the gang had a fake Aadhaar card made for a minor girl and staged her wedding. The aim was to grab lakhs of rupees and gold and silver jewellery.

Finding brides for village men has become very difficult these days. The problem is especially serious for the sons of families who live off farming or sugarcane cutting. The fraudsters exploited this helplessness.

A young man in Georai was growing older and his family was looking for a bride for him. Seeing the family's worry, some suspicious middlemen (brokers) from Jafrabad in Jalna approached them. They sent the girl's biodata and photograph on WhatsApp and also arranged a meeting to see the girl on October 1.

The brokers then set a condition: since the girl had lost her father, the entire cost of the wedding, Rs 2.5 lakh, would have to be paid by the groom's side. The family was in poor financial condition, but it still managed to raise the money by taking an advance from the sugarcane-cutting labour contractor (mukadam) against the coming 2026-27 season.

On October 5, the gang of brokers reached Georai by car. Of the agreed amount, Rs 50,000 was taken into two different PhonePe accounts and the remaining Rs 2 lakh was taken in cash. A local Brahmin priest was called and the wedding was performed with Vedic rites. The family was happy that their son had settled down, but the joy lasted only two days.

Just two days after the wedding, the new bride began insisting on going to her parents' home. Suspicious, the family tried to contact the brokers, who began stalling. It became clear that the whole affair was a drama staged only to extort money.

On October 19, the girl herself went to the police and revealed something shocking. The brokers had got a fake Aadhaar card made showing her age as 20, although she is in fact still a minor. She told the police, "I was brought to Georai by force, under threat and intimidation, and my marriage was performed."

A case has been registered at Georai police station. On the orders of the Child Welfare Committee, the minor girl has been sent to a children's home. Police are currently investigating swiftly to catch the main masterminds of the fraud racket.