Scammed: The case of the ghost bride

Naveed Akhtar, a resident of the area, told The Express Tribune that Zulfiqar Ali, a resident of Bhowana, claimed that two men had arranged his wedding with a woman named Kausar Bibi in Marzi Pura. But when the wedding party reached the ‘bride’s’ house, they refused to let them in and locked the doors, he said.

After a long wait, Akhtar said, the ‘bride’s’ family opened the doors and the groom and baraatis entered the house carrying dhols and sweets. He said the woman’s family started swearing at the groom and his relatives. They said that there was no Kausar Bibi in their family and they had not arranged a wedding.

Akhtar said the baraatis were infuriated at this and started swearing at the ‘bride’s’ family for refusing to acknowledge them.

A small scuffle ensued and the elders of the area were summoned. They called the Bhowana City police to settle the dispute but they refused to get involved in the matter saying the event had not occurred in their jurisdiction.

Zulfiqar Ali, the groom, told The Express Tribune that two match-makers Lala Mehmood and Ali Gujjar had arranged his marriage with Kausar Bibi. He said they had received Rs200,000 as her dower and for other arrangements. “But when we reached the bride’s house, they refused to acknowledge us and disgraced us in front of our relatives and the entire community.”

Shafqat Abbas, one of the ‘bride’s’ family members, said, “We don’t even know of a Kausar Bibi or the match-makers Ali is talking about. He should bother them instead of us. We never took his money…we would’ve arranged for a reception if we were celebrating a wedding wouldn’t we?”

The Bhowana City station house officer said the aggrieved family should contact Bhowana Saddar police station if they wanted to file a complaint.

A spokesman for the Bhowana Saddar police said that they had not received a formal complaint about the incident. “We will take action once someone files it, he said”.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 8^th, 2014.