BIJNOR: An alleged theft led to one of the quickest divorces in Bijnor district in Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday. After relatives of the bride at a wedding realized that over Rs 1.45 lakh and ornaments had been stolen from their safe, they held an entire baraat (wedding procession), including the groom, captive. They alleged that a relative of the groom had stolen the money. The baraat could only be freed by the morning, when the police had to intervene. Once free, the enraged groom in no time divorced the bride.
The incident occurred in Karonda Pachdu village of the district. According to villagers, soon after the baraat of Kaari Imran arrived from the neighbouring Chandpuron village on Monday, an altercation began between the two sides. Nasir Ahmed, the father of bride, alleged that the groom’s nephew, Akib, and a woman had stolen Rs 1.45 lakh and some ornaments kept inside a safe at the venue.
The groom’s kin denied the charges and alleged that the bride’s relatives misbehaved with them and held the baraat, including the groom and his father, captive for the entire night. Only after someone informed cops in the morning and they rushed to the spot, the hostages could be freed.
As soon as the groom was freed, he took no time in divorcing the woman he married a few hours earlier. Imran told TOI that he felt humiliated and enraged. “I was not ready for a talaq, but was compelled to divorce the girl,” he said.
Till the time of filing this report, both parties were at the kotwali police station where they were being questioned by cops. Sub-inspector Shiv Kumar Gaur said, “We are probing the matter. Both parties are at the police station. But no one has given us any complaint yet.”
Confirming the incident, village head Rashid Qureshi said, “Efforts are going on from both sides to reach a compromise.”
