Woman marries four men in a year, escapes with money and jewellery

Tumakuru: Ina case of marital fraud, a woman in Tumkur district has been accused of marrying four different men within a year, only to steal their money and gold ornaments before disappearing. The woman, along with her accomplices, has been arrested by the Gubbi police after the elaborate scam was uncovered. The prime accused, identified as Lakshmi Bala Saab Janakar alias Komala, along with her uncle Siddappa, aunt Lakshmibai and a marriage broker named Lakshmi, orchestrated the series of fraudulent marriages. The gang targeted wealthy men in rural areas who were struggling to find a bride, promising them a marriage and then robbing them. The scam was discovered in Attigatte village of Gubbi taluk, Tumkur district. The victim, Dayananda Murthy (34), had been desperate to get married, having failed to find a bride despite numerous efforts. His family had consulted several marriage brokers but had no success until they were introduced to broker Lakshmi through a contact named Basavaraju from Kushtagi.

Lakshmi promised to find a bride for Dayananda and soon introduced him to Komala, a woman she claimed was an orphan from Hubballi. Komala, accompanied by her so-called uncle and aunt, visited Dayananda’s village on November 11 last year, and the marriage was swiftly arranged. The groom’s family, eager to secure a match for their son, agreed to the wedding without much scrutiny. The marriage was held the next day in the village temple, attended by over 200 people.

The bride was gifted with gold jewelry, including a chain, earrings, and a "tali" (mangalsutra) weighing about 25 grams, and the family paid broker Lakshmi`1.5 lakh. However, just two days after the wedding, Komala left with her "relatives," taking the money and gold with her. When she failed to return, Dayananda's family grew suspicious and began to investigate.

The truth came to light when they travelled to Hubballi, only to find that Komala and her accomplices were part of a well-organized scam. The same woman had married multiple men across Karnataka and Maharashtra, using fake Aadhaar cards with different addresses to deceive her victims. The Gubbi police launched an investigation and managed to track down and arrest the gang based on wedding photos and videos. The investigation revealed that Komala had married four to five men in different states as part of this fraudulent scheme, making a career out of cheating unsuspecting grooms.