Female brokers around Hyderabad recruit brides for sham marriages

Hyderabad: Police investigations have revealed that there are around 40 female brokers in and around the city who are actively engaged in facilitating prostitution under the guise of marriage.

The women, in turn, are assisted by people tasked with arranging for hotel bookings and transport for customers who are foreign nationals. These activities mainly take place on the outskirts of the city and in the minority-dominated areas of Mahbubnagar, Ranga Reddy and Medak districts.

“So far, we have focused on rescuing the teenagers. At no point have our investigations extended beyond individual cases. We have gathered information about almost all the female brokers, their hide-outs and the qazis who solemnise the fake marriages,” says a police official.

Unlike earlier, brokers now have access to technology. They are able to use email and WhatsApp to communicate with their counterparts in the Middle East. Huge amounts of money are involved in these rackets, and the network of brokers is spreading across Telangana through the recruitment of sub-agents.

The network includes trusted auto-rickshaw and cab drivers who take the foreigners around the city during their stay.

“Right from luxury cars to auto-rickshaws, they arrange for vehicles according to the requirements of their clients. Their accommodation and transport are arranged according to the money they are willing to spend. People from the upper class to those from the lower-middle class visit the city for these so-called marriages,” says another police officer who is involved in the investigation of a case which involves an Omani national.

Sources say that the police are hesitant to take action as this is a sensitive issue which can potentially have political repercussions. V. Satyanarayana, DCP for the South Zone, says that the police has not been facing any political pressure.

“We will act at the right time. We have successfully brought down the number of such marriages in the past three years, and we will continue to focus on this social issue,” he says. Some brokers have previously been arrested in relation to specific cases.