Page 50 - 31OCT2018E

MARRIAGE FRAUDS

f it was not for the alert cops harm, the Regional Passport Office and the passport manual which the girls, it’s the entire family which
at the Delhi Airport, who re- (RPO) is doing its bit to bring these have the provision for revoking or suffers. There is always social loath-
cently, arrested an NRI before truant NRIs to book. Amid thou- suspending passports of NRIs who ing and many people find it easy to
he could flee the country thus sands of pouring complaints which have been declared proclaimed blame the girl in question instead
I deserting his wife and son, has become a norm over the years, offenders, or are facing arrest of the husband. That is how our so-
once again, Gurmeet Singh would the RPO, Chandigarh, taking mat- warrants”. ciety is. This is also the reason that
have been enjoying his time in Ger- ter in its own hands, has suspended On the piling up of such cases, many girls choose to grin and bear
many. But, for now, he is cooling his 75 passports so far of such NRIs. Kabiraj said, “Many times, even it than to go back to their parents.
heels in a jail in Punjab. He is one of The efforts started in May-June this when suspension of passport seems They know they will be subjected to
the thousands of fly-by-night-NRI- year, when a dedicated helpline was a legitimate action, there are several social scrutiny and eventually the
grooms who fleece innocent par- launched for deserted NRI wives or road blocks such as the victim not fault will be pinned on the victim
ents selling them ‘phoren’ dreams what some may refer to as ‘Honey- in the possession of the required or her family for not doing enough”,
for their daughters. moon Wives’ phenomenon. And original documents”. “There is local she said.
According to officials, Gurmeet it is not something new for Punjab police involved and many times, our
Singh was trying to leave India even what with many Punjabis nurtur- staff reaches out to the concerned The road ahead
as his passport was suspended, the ing a lifelong dream of settling police station seeking the required As many of the victims say, the
same day when he tried to flee. His down abroad-by hook or by crook. documents and yet many times of social media-Facebook, Twit- ways there to attend to calls all day road ahead is in indeed rocky even
wife, Pritpal Kaur, from Samana in Although the problems that follow the required warrants are not ter etc and found that there were long and even to answer queries of though the authorities claim they
Punjab, says that they got married such cases are indeed unique to the issued or criminal cases under thousands of women like her who all the walk-ins at the RPO. are doing their work. All the stake-
in 2011. Gurmeet was then working state. specific sections are not registered,” were the worst sufferers of such Rupali said, “The phone has not holders involved including state
as a chef in Germany. After getting he added. cons. What started as a small group stopped ringing eversince the hel- governments, NRI Commissions,
married, Gurmeet left for Germany As a part of the process, the RPO to hear each other out, sailing in the pline has been launched. Right Women Commissions, Courts, Po-
a month later and visited off and on. is also now informing the compa- same boat, soon became a strong from queries on how to take these lice etc have to join hands together
The couple was blessed with a son a Many a times, nies/ firms which had employed movement. And that is how, a help cases forward in order to get justice and iron out the creases. “Not just
year later. It was only after their son these NRI fraud husbands and also and support group-Together We to sometimes just sharing informa- stricter laws, but we need more ef-
was born that Pritpal discovered marrying an NRI keeping the concerned embassies in Can, came into existence. With Ru- tion to strengthen each other’s case ficient enforcement and quicker
that Gurmeet was already married turns out to be the specific countries in the loop as well. pali Gupta of Bathinda (Punjab), to helping out each other on how to redressals in such cases. In so many
in Germany and had children. Also, in the offing is a detailed list of Amrit Pal Kaur from Budhlada in deal with cops- these women all ex- cases, the police keep dragging its
What followed was no less than biggest mistake such fraud grooms so that they can Punjab and Reena Chauhan from tending all help to each other.” feet, then the matter lingers on in
a nightmare for Pritpal who was for women in the be blacklisted and deported back to Kaithal in Haryana at the helm On being asked as to how do they the courts and by the time the case
shunted out by her in laws and had India as many of these men become along with others, slowly and stead- manage funds for survival and do- reaches a decisive point, the ac-
to endure torture at their hands- state as the trend of are married more than once. ily more and more women came ing such a yeoman service, Rupali, cused husbands are already preying
both mental and physical for a very grooms abandoning out to join in. said, “We rely on our families as tak- on their next victims”, said Deepika
long time, all in the name of reach- Victims-turned-volunteers “We started out as a small group- ing up jobs right now for some of us Gehlot, another victim of NRI fraud
ing a compromise. And then, Prit- their wives has About 13 months ago, Rupali was with just a bunch of us, 10-12 in the who do not stay in Chandigarh per- husband.
pal’s worst fears came alive when also picked up getting ready for the happiest day beginning who had similar stories manently is difficult since we are “Even though majority of cases
Gurmeet managed to hoodwink the of her life-the day of her wedding. to share, some deserted within a in and out of police stations for our are from Punjab, many of the vic-
police and leave the country in 2015. over the years With dreams in her eyes for a beau- week after the marriage to some cases mostly. But I plan to look for tims are also from neighbouring
He never called her up after that. tiful life, just as any bride-to-be, deserted after two-three years, a job soon”. She has taken a paying states of Haryana, Himachal and
It was recently that Pritpal got to she was both excited and anxious some with children-we all were guest accommodation in the city to even Uttarkhand and Delhi. So
know that Gurmeet has returned to As per estimates, there are more on how life will be after getting bound by a common thread of sor- do the volunteer work. there is a need to set up a common
India via Nepal route and thus a than 12,000 such cases of NRI frauds married. row, sadness and despair. All of us “It is said that the first such case authority to deal with such cases”,
lookout notice was issued by the po- with the RPO in Chandigarh, which What happened over the next on an individual level were trying to came to light in 1996 and then there she added.
lice to nab him. covers 24 districts of Punjab, and one month was something that do all we can to get justice and we were a few hundreds and now the “Once the authorities make it
Thankfully, the move by the Haryana besides Chandigarh. But Rupali, an M.Tech in computers decided to rather chip in the efforts numbers run in thousands. If only, mandatory to register all NRI mar-
Regional Passport Office (RPO) suspending passports is a long and her parents had never imag- together. Today, we are more than the laws then were stricter and riages, there will be a decline in such
to suspend Gurmeet’s passport drawn process. ined even in their distant dreams. 350 women and have a set up at the guilty was brought to book, things cases. As of now, not many come
clicked and since such infor - Explaining how the suspension Her torture at the hands of her RPO Chandigarh. We are managing would not have turned so bad. Still, forward to get their marriages reg-
mation gets flashed instantly, of passports work, Sibash Kabiraj, NRI husband who was already the NRI Helpline and every day we with our collective efforts, we hope istered with the respective NRI
Gurmeet was finally nabbed at the Regional Passport Officer, Chandi- married in Canada, and his par - are getting about 50 calls and more to bring down the sufferings of at Commissions and many of the NRIs
Delhi Airport. garh, said, “Suspension of passport ents began as soon and within two and more women are coming out”, least some families”, said Rupali. take advantage of this loophole”,
is done after due diligence and fol- months, Rupali’s husband Tirlochan Rupali told Tehelka. Mention families and almost all said Shikha, a victim of NRI fraud
Passport Office to the rescue lowing a procedure which requires Goyal, went to Canada, only to never In fact, these women now shut- the victims echo similar sentiments. marriage from Delhi.
To ensure that NRI grooms like adequate paperwork and documen- come back. tle between their hometowns and Darshana, 30 year old, who got mar-
Gurmeet are not left out to do more tation under the Passports Act, 1967, It was then that Rupali took help Chandigarh often. One of them is al- ried two years ago, says, “Not just LETTERS@TEHELKA.COM

TEHELKA / 31 OCTOBER 2018 50 WWW.TEHELKA.COM TEHELKA / 31 OCTOBER 2018 51 WWW.TEHELKA.COM

49-51 NRI Marriage.indd 4 10/16/2018 12:46:07 PM 49-51 NRI Marriage.indd 5 10/16/2018 12:46:15 PM