Punjab Police plans to crack down on non-resident Indian (NRI) bridegrooms, who don't take their wedding vows seriously, by charging them with rape.
Reacting to the rising number of sham weddings initiated by NRIs with local girls, the state police have decided to tack Section 376 (Rape) on to the complaint, if investigations find that the 'groom' had no intentions of getting married.
Inspector General of Police Sanjiv Gupta said: "NRIs who come here to enjoy a holiday marriage can be checked by this charge."
NRIs, who leave their wives and families in the lurch in Punjab, would also be declared absconders and would have to face extradition from countries where they are settled.
"We received about 70 complaints against NRIs, who married here and deserted their brides last year alone," Gupta, who heads the NRI cell in Punjab Police, said.
Complaints have been lodged against NRIs in 39 cases, while in the remaining cases, both parties either agreed to compromise or opted for court settlements.
Grooms fleeing abroad leaving their brides behind are a common story in Punjab. The wives, and offspring born to them, are generally left to fend for themselves.
Police officials said the real number of desertion cases by NRIs could even be about 10,000, as many of the affected parties did not come forward to formally complain.
{{/usCountry}}Police officials said the real number of desertion cases by NRIs could even be about 10,000, as many of the affected parties did not come forward to formally complain.
{{/usCountry}}Every year, a large number of those settled abroad head for Punjab, looking for daughters-in-law or brides. A majority of these are from Britain, Canada, the US, Europe and the Middle East.
Some travel agents and marriage touts are also reportedly involved in this cheating trade.
Millions of people from Punjab had migrated to western countries between 1940 and 1975. In many cases, the migrated men continued to send money regularly to the families left behind.
"The spouses left here keep hoping that one day they would go abroad," a police official in Hoshiarpur said.
In many cases, the NRIs were found guilty of bigamy. While some marriages to foreigners were genuine, most were for a green card or foreign citizenship.