Police on Friday claimed to have busted an inter-district “fake marriage” racket with the arrest of four people in Jammu Kashmir’s Baramulla district.

The case was brought to the police's attention through an application submitted by some respectable of the Kunzer area.

Police said, according to the complaint, the accused individuals were operating as middlemen during marriage functions.

They allegedly used WhatsApp to send photos of various young women, falsely claiming they were ready for marriage.

These individuals convinced the victims on the other side to agree to marriage proposals, fix the “mehar money” and make payments.

However, despite the financial transactions, no marriages were conducted, and the money was not returned.

It has been revealed that this group of fraudsters manipulated their victims by selecting targets through carefully chosen photographs of young women.

They managed to accumulate a significant sum of 7,38,000rupees from unsuspecting victims under the pretence of mehar payments and commission, police added.

The accused who were arrested identified as Laal Hussain, a resident of Ward No 06, Jaranwala Gali, Rajouri, Irshada Begum of resident of Mori Kalakot, Rajouri, Abdul Rahman Rather of Dar Mohalla, Drang, Budgam and Abdul Khaliq Dar a resident of Gulab Bag, Pati Poshker, Khag Budgam.

Police have registered a case FIR under sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and investigation was initiated immediately, leading to the unearthing of the entire fraudulent operation.

(With UNI inputs)