Over 40 grooms left waiting as brides never arrive at fake wedding

More than 40 men in India were allegedly duped in an unusual marriage scam, arriving in wedding attire for a mass wedding ceremony only to spend hours waiting for brides who never showed up.

The incident took place in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, where the victims had reportedly been promised marriages through a man posing as a marriage matchmaker.

According to a foreign news agency, the parents of one of the victims, Abhishek Verma, had been searching for a bride for their son when a man from a nearby village offered to arrange a match.

The alleged matchmaker reportedly told the families that they only needed to select an orphan bride from a photo album and pay around $200 to take part in a mass wedding ceremony.

On the wedding day in late May, around 40 grooms, including Verma, arrived at the venue at 8 am dressed in wedding clothes.

They waited for hours, but no brides arrived.

By evening, they realised that they had allegedly fallen victim to a scam.

Police officer Preeti Katare said the victims were men aged between 20 and 40, mostly from rural areas.

 She added that many other victims may not have approached the police because of embarrassment.

Police have registered fraud cases against the alleged matchmaker and his accomplices and launched an investigation.