Meet the ‘looteri dulhan’ who conned 25 grooms, fled with jewellery and cash

A woman dubbed the ‘looteri dulhan’ (looting bride) was arrested by police for allegedly cheating around 25 grooms and fleeing with their jewellery and cash worth lakhs, NDTV reported.

The accused, identified as 32-year-old Anuradha Paswan, was arrested in Bhopal.

Each time, she would create a new fake identity to trick men into sham marriages, playing the role of the ideal bride and perfect daughter-in-law before fleeing with the valuables.

Anuradha Paswan’s fake marriage plan

Anuradha and her fake marriage gang cheated several people out of their trust and money.

Gang members would show Anuradha’s photos and profile to prospective grooms, pitching her as an ideal match. The matchmaker, also part of the gang, charged ₹2 lakh for arranging the marriage. Once a match was fixed, a consent letter was signed between the parties.

After the wedding, Anuradha would act sweet and naive around the groom and his family to gain their trust. A few days later, she would allegedly drug the family’s food and flee with their jewellery, cash, and other valuables.

Anuradha Paswan was arrested after Vishnu Sharma, a resident of Sawai Madhopur, filed a complaint accusing her of cheating and stealing jewellery worth ₹1.25 lakh, ₹30,000 in cash, and a mobile phone worth ₹30,000.

Vishnu had married Anuradha on 20 April 2025.

“I run a handcart and got married by taking a loan. I had even borrowed the mobile—she took that too. I never thought she would cheat me,” said Vishnu Sharma, as quoted by NDTV.

Recalling the night she left, Vishnu said he returned from work late and went to sleep after dinner. “I usually don’t sleep much, but that night I slept like a baby—as if someone gave me a sleeping pill,” he added.

Following the complaint, the Sawai Madhopur police set a trap to catch the woman and her gang members. A police constable posed as a prospective groom and customer of the matchmaker to lure the accused into another fake marriage.

“Upon investigation, all documents and marriage agreements were found to be fake. From our team, we prepared a constable as a groom and tricked the woman into marriage,” a police official said, according to the report.