Aligarh woman elopes with daughter’s fiance week before wedding

A middle-aged woman in Aligarh district has eloped with her daughter's fiance just a week before the wedding was to take place, police said on Wednesday.

The incident has left both families in shock, and a police search is now under way for the runaway couple.

Jitendra Kumar, the father of the bride-to-be, told reporters that his wife, Apna Devi, fled with the daughter's fiancé and took along Rs 3 lakh in cash and jewellery worth over Rs 5 lakh, which had been saved for the wedding on April 16.

"My wife used to speak with our daughter's fiance for hours, but we never imagined it would end this way. She has ruined us," Kumar said.

Devi, who is nearly 40, lived with his family in a village under Madraak police station limits. The man, Sushant (name changed), is a resident of a neighbouring village.

On Sunday morning, Sushant left his home after telling his father cryptically that "no one should try to contact him as he was embarking on a long journey."

The concerned father contacted the bride's family, only to find that Sushant was not there, and neither was the bride's mother.

Suspecting foul play, Sushant's father filed a missing person report at Madraak police station.

Station House Officer Arvind Kumar said, "We have received a complaint and are conducting a search to locate the couple. Further action will be taken once they are found."