Nakodar, April 02,
2008
Harpal Randhawa
NRI Canada-based
girl had duped of Rs 8 lakh by solemnising a “paper marriage”
with Amandeep Singh of Sarinh, Nakodar for passage to Canada.
The court marriage was solemnized around six months ago and both
parties agreed that there would be no relationship between the
two. The girl's parents are also NRIs and her one brother lives
in India.
Amandeep said:
- After marriage she
went back to Canada, kept contact with us few months and later
changed her mind to fill up any paper work
- When we put pressure
on her family through some organizations for legal action, she
returned Rs 5 lakh
The police sources
said that NRI women who have lately been fleecing eligible bridegrooms
with promises of helping them settle abroad.
It is also confirmed
that several groups have been active in Jalandhar, Phagwara and
Nawan Shahar. These groups are charging anything between Rs 5
lakh to Rs 15 lakh through touts for a “paper marriage.”
Some experts say non-remunerative
agriculture and an overwhelming desire to head overseas drive
youth to make any compromise for the chance of settling down abroad.
The Ministry of Overseas
Indian Affairs (MOIA) is running the campaign through Punjabi
channels and vernacular newspapers and asking young Punjabi men
and women to guard against false travel and immigration agents
and also NRIs wanting to dupe them by offering foreign dreams.
'Supne dekhne chhado,
haqiqat val dhiyaan deyo (Stop dreaming and look at reality)'
is the punch line of the ad campaign launched by the ministry
last month to make people aware about immigration frauds.
To make aware of this
risk, a guidance booklet on "Marriages to Overseas Indians"
published by ‘Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs’
is intended to serve as a guide for prospective brides and their
parents who are considering a matrimonial alliance with an overseas
Indian spouse.
