The Sirsa police have arrested a ‘con bride’ and her two women accomplices for allegedly duping a government driver of ₹1.8 lakh and gold jewellery. The gang reportedly charged the victim ₹1.5 lakh to arrange the marriage before fleeing with an additional ₹30,000 in cash.
The accused have been identified as Phoolan Devi, alias Shivani Sharma, a native of Madhya Pradesh; gang leader Saroj Devi of Hisar; and Renu Choudhary of Uttar Pradesh.
According to the police, Shivani and her aide Renu were arrested from Sirsa, and the gang head, Saroj, was arrested from Hisar on Sunday. The police also recovered some jewellery and ₹10,000 from the accused.
Sirsa City station house officer (SHO) Sandeep Kumar said on Monday that the matter came to light in January 2026 when the victim, a driver in the state power department, lodged a formal complaint. The victim said that a colleague had introduced him to individuals who arranged marriages in exchange for money.
“In September 2025, I was introduced to Shivani and we got engaged in Hisar. I paid ₹1.5 lakh and provided jewellery. She claimed her parents had passed away and postponed the wedding, but moved into my house on October 3. Five days later, she fled with ₹30,000 and the jewellery,” the driver told the police.
Investigators said that Renu helped Shivani escape Sirsa. The two hid in Najafgarh, Delhi, for several months before joining Saroj at her Hisar house and then Renu again went to Sirsa and Shivani to Delhi. Police officials said that Shivani, who has a six-year-old son from a previous marriage, had moved from Madhya Pradesh to Delhi and then to Hisar, where she became Saroj’s tenant.
“Two days ago, we received a tip-off that Shivani was visiting Renu’s house in Sirsa and arrested her there. During questioning, she claimed that Renu helped her escape and that the entire extortion plan was hatched by Saroj Devi. We subsequently arrested her aides, and the trio has been sent to judicial custody,” SHO Sandeep Kumar told HT over the phone.
