Bangalore girl loses to Kochi bride in dowry market
Not just cricketers, even girls go under the hammer, albeit with a difference. If cricketers are auctioned once in three years by IPL teams and the players get paid, the girls are being bid for throughout the year in the marriage market.
In such an ‘auction,’ a Bangalore girl lost her fiance to another girl in Kochi, Kerala, whose parents were willing to pay a bigger dowry. “Kerala girls bring more dowries,” Sunitha’s former fiance, Shabeer Sulaiman, a resident of Ooty, reportedly said, while dumping her. She had got engaged to him on May 26 last in Bangalore.
After her daughter had been dumped, Sunitha’s mother approached the police with a complaint of cheating. She named A Sulaiman alias Basheer, his wife Tahira and son Shabeer, as accused persons.
Sunitha’s mother alleged that she had in May paid Rs85,000 to the Sulaimans to arrange the wedding. The girl’s aunt, residing in Benson Town, had brought the proposal.
“After the engagement, they demanded a Titan wrist watch, a gold chain and also the wedding dress. After all the demands were met on July 19, the wedding was fixed for November 20 and 21 last year,” Sunitha said.
Soon after the wedding dates were fixed, the Shabeer’s family underwent experienced quite a few dramatic developments. Shabeer incurred a huge loss in his business, and his family wanted to postpone the wedding, so the groom could settle down financially.
To ensure that the wedding took place as planned, Sunitha’s family paid Rs1 lakh to the Sulaimans on September 12.
The financial loss in business was not the only development. On November 11, as Sunitha had been excitedly looking forward to her big day, the Sulaimans telephoned again: dacoits had looted all the valuables and cash from their company. They did not have money even to buy food.
“They demanded Rs5 lakh to go ahead with the nikah,” Sunitha said. The Sulaimans also said that they were from an honest family and the dacoity would drive them to suicide if the did not get the money.
The plea soon took the form ofthreats. After the engagement, the Sulaimans had made Sunitha accompany them to picnics, where her photographs were clicked. They threatened to make them public, if their demand for `5 lakh was not met.
“‘Have you arranged for Rs5 lakh?’ was all they asked,” the victim said. On December 23, Sunitha and her family were informed that Shabeer had got engaged to another girl, Nazia, in Kochi as “Kerala girls bring more dowry.” Thewedding is scheduled for February 20.
Recently Sunitha’s family received a call from Nazia’s father Nazeer, warning them of dire consequences if they created trouble. Nazia’s family had reportedly ‘bought’ Shabeer for Rs6 lakh.
Sunitha’s mother has lodged a complaint of cheating with Kothanur police, and also charged the accused under the Dowry Prohibition Act.
(The victim’s name has been changed)
https://www.dnaindia.com/bangalore/report_bangalore-girl-loses-to-kochi-bride-in-dowry-market_1493069
