Techie arrested for taking dowry, not marrying girl, did the same earlier too

A 27-year-old BTech graduate, a senior software engineer in a private firm in Gurgaon arrested by the Rewari police on Thursday for taking dowry and not turning up on marriage day, has been accused of resorting to similar act earlier too.

The family of bride Priyanka (name changed), 23, has alleged that about one-and-a-half years ago, the accused Pradeep Lamba had refused to marry a girl immediately before the marriage day as her family failed to offer the dowry demanded. Later, the matter was settled by marrying off the girl to another man in the Lamba family. This had happened when talks of marriage with Priyanka were on.

Complainant Rajesh Kumar, Priyanka’s uncle, said that they were told to marry off the girl to another man in the family if Lamba’s demand for a car and ₹5 lakh could not be met. “His father, a sub inspector in BSF, told us that his son earned ₹1 lakh a month and the dowry being offered was not as per his family’s status. When we pressed for a police case, a mediator named Naresh Mundia offered that another man in their family, who failed matriculation, would marry her,” he said.

Priyanka, pursuing her final year of post-graduation in Chemistry, said she wanted to pursue masters in Botany but had to opt for Chemistry as Lamba and his family pushed for it.

The duo was engaged in June 2011 and marriage was fixed in February 2016, but Lamba deferred it claiming that he was going abroad for job. He once again deferred the marriage on the pretext that his sister was pregnant.

Priyanka said she was saved timely as marriage to such a “greedy family” would have meant disaster for her and her family. “My father, a farmer, had arranged money for jewellery and other materials gifted on February 13, two days before the wedding day. We have got back some materials but the jewellery has still not been returned,” she said.

Lamba is a resident of Khera Khurampur village, 25 km from Gurgaon, while the bride’s family belongs to a village at Dharuhera, 42 km from Gurgaon.

Satyapal Singh, deputy superintendent of police (Bawal), said Lamba was sent to judicial custody on Friday. He said that it was reported that a girl engaged to Lamba was married off to someone else in the family but the police are focusing on the present case.

Lamba family members were not available for comments.

Lamba’s father said the dowry offered doesn’t match his status. Later, a mediator offered another man in their family will marry my niece. My father, a farmer, had arranged money for jewellery and other gifts. We have got back some materials but the not the jewellery .