2 weeks Ago
Surat: Police on Tuesday booked four persons for allegedly cheating an unemployed diamond artisan out of Rs 1.75 lakh. In the incident, the accused arranged for a woman to marry the complainant but she later disappeared.
Dhaval Satasiya, a resident of Mota Varachha, lodged a complaint at Sarthana police station. Police booked Dinesh Soni, Payal Parmar, Sachin, and Hema Raju for alleged cheating and criminal conspiracy under the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Satasiya (32), a native of Junagadh district, had not been able to find a suitable match.
When he met Soni, he told him that he was ready to marry a woman from any community and asked him to find him a bride. Later, Soni shared the photos of a few women with him. Satasiya selected one woman, and in May 2024, he went with Soni to meet Payal in Amroli area.
After discussions, they finalised the marriage. For his services, Soni charged Rs 25,000, while the other accused, Sachin, who was also present there, demanded Rs 1.5 lakh for the woman's family.
Payal's aunt Hema was also present. After Satasiya agrered to pay the money, they started preparing for the marriage. On May 19, they completed the notary registration of their marriage in the presence of relatives, and Satasiya paid the money to Soni and Sachin.
Within a few days, Satasiya quit his job in the diamond polishing industry and went to stay at his native village Valasimdi with his wife Payal. He started doing farming with other family members. After a month, Payal told Satasiya that her mother was not well and she wanted to go to Kalyan in Mumbai to see her.
Satasiya went along with her and they got down from the train at Bandra Terminus. They then took a local train when Payal told Satasiya that she would sit in the ladies' coach. She instructed Satasiya to get down at Kurla.
Satasiya got down at Kurla and waited for Payal to come, but she was not seen. Satasiya then called on her mobile, when she told him that she would come in a few days and asked him to go back home. When he tried again, her phone was switched off.
When Satasiya told this to Soni, he told him (Satasiya) that he would get him married to another woman. After a few days, Soni also switched his phone off. "Soni will be nabbed soon.
The other accused, Sachin, has played a key role, and he is not found in Amroli where they had met first," said an officer from Sarthana police station. Police said that after Sachin's arrest, the location of the women accused will be known. Men from the Patidar community are not finding girls for marriage within the community and are getting married to women from other communities.
Besides, those working in the diamond industry are finding it increasingly difficult to find matches due to salary drop and job loss..
