The Fraud Investigation Bureau (FIB) has stepped up investigations into cases of marriage-related fraud. There has been an alarming increase in such crimes, where the victims are cheated out of large sums of money. Many such cases go unreported to the police.
According to the police, fake marriage proposals often appear in the newspapers. Some carry promises of travel abroad, with the victims being asked to cough up large sums of money for travel and legal documents. The racketeers tend to target women in the 35-to-40 years age group.
FIB director Maxie Procter, who is a Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), told the Sunday Times that the bureau was currently investigating at least three such cases. “This is a new trend in crime, and we are now receiving complaints regarding such scams,” he said. “Often, the victims are reluctant to report the crimes because of the social implications.”
Those who respond to marriage proposal ads should be cautious and thoroughly examine the background of the other party before committing any funds, SSP Procter said.
In another marriage-related scam, a man charged with multiple bigamy is alleged to have married and divorced a succession of women after swindling them of their wealth. The man had reportedly been married three times; the third victim and her family suspected a scam and reported him to the police. Apparently, the man, who hails from Anuradhapura, had found his victims by answering marriage proposals posted on the internet and in the newspapers.
He would meet his intended bride and her family and go through all the legal and traditional marriage procedures. He would demand that the wife write all her wealth, including property and vehicles, in his name, as well as money for what he described as his “maintenance costs”. He would then file for divorce.
It is understood the man in question has been able to avoid criminal charges because he had acquired his wealth within the contract of the marriage; financial transactions between husband and wife fall within the legal ambit of a marriage.
In one of the three marriages, the man was married for only two weeks, during which time he had swindled his wife of Rs. 3.4 million.When he was charged with one count of fraud, the man had tried desperately to patch up with his wife of the time, and when his entreaties failed, he started to bombard her with letters of demand, claiming compensation of Rs. 5 million. He is believed to have fled the country. His third divorce case is proceeding.
“There are difficulties in pressing criminal charges in this kind of case. But if criminal intent can be proved, then charges can be made,” SSP Procter said.
Last week, the Fraud Investigation Bureau arrested a man for allegedly cheating women of their money with bogus marriage proposals in the newspapers.
According to the police, the man had escaped from the Welikada prison last year while serving a jail sentence for a series of robberies. A woman in Akuressa had reported the man to the police, saying he had cheated her of almost Rs. 100,000 in cash on the pretext of organising travel documents for Japan.
The woman had contacted the police on seeing an identical marriage proposal in another newspaper.
She had just transferred a sum of Rs. 84,000 to the man’s account, allegedly to obtain travel documents for her to visit Japan. The FIB arrested the man, along with two others believed to be involved in the racket.
The police have advised the print media to be vigilant when accepting marriage advertisements for publication, and the public to be cautious in selecting partners through the newspapers. Be especially alert if money transactions are involved, the police say.
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