Daijiworld Media Network – Bhopal
Bhopal, Mar 14: A wedding celebration in Bhopal turned into a dramatic crime scene when police arrived at the venue and arrested the groom, an alleged gangster, from the mandap just before the marriage rituals.
Hours later, the bride reached the Koh-e-Fiza Police Station with mehndi still on her hands and haldi on her face, pleading with officers to allow the wedding to take place.
“Sahab, my life will be destroyed. What is my fault? I didn’t know about the crimes he committed. Guests are waiting at home. Haldi and other rituals have been done,” the bride, Seema, cried before the police officers.
She requested the police to release her fiancé, Akash Neelkanth alias Bhura, for just two hours so that the wedding rituals could be completed. When officers refused, she even asked if the wedding vows could at least be performed while he was in police custody. However, the police did not accept the request.
The dramatic episode unfolded on Wednesday afternoon when police reached the wedding venue and took Akash, the alleged leader of a local gang known as the “Illegal Gang”, into custody. Guests watched in shock as the groom was escorted away before the ceremony could take place.
Police also arrested his associates Rajamji Thakur, Abhishek Upadhyay, Abhishek Meena, Neeraj Khange and Amit Oswal. All the accused were later produced before a court and sent to police remand.
Investigators said the gang has been active in Bhopal since 2018 and comprises more than 50 youths from the Vajpayee Nagar locality. Several members reportedly have the word “Illegal” tattooed on their necks as a sign of loyalty and identity.
Police records show that Akash alias Bhura faces 31 criminal cases, including serious charges such as murder. He was the main accused in the killing of Surendra Kushwah, Mandal vice president of the Bharatiya Janata Party Yuva Morcha in Bhopal on March 18, 2024. He had spent nearly 18 months in jail in the case before being released on bail about four months ago.
According to police, the latest arrests are linked to a kidnapping case in which the gang allegedly abducted a 26-year-old priest and confined him in a flat in the Eidgah Hills area. The victim was reportedly assaulted and a ransom of Rs 8 lakh was demanded.
Police said the gang forced the priest’s brother to transfer Rs 50,000 online while demanding that the remaining Rs 7.5 lakh be paid later. The victim was also allegedly threatened with being falsely implicated in a rape case if the money was not paid.
The incident came to light when the priest managed to escape and reached the Koh-e-Fiza police station on March 11, where he lodged a complaint. Acting on the FIR, police tracked down the accused and conducted raids that led to the dramatic arrest of the groom during his wedding ceremony.
Police sources said Seema and Akash had been in a relationship for nearly six years and lived in the same locality, with wedding preparations having been underway for weeks before the sudden police action halted the ceremony.