Caught as ‘thief’, man made to marry girlfriend by village elders in Bihar

A 25-year-old army clerk from Bihar’s Rohtas district, who was caught “a thief” for secretly entering the house of his lover at night, ended up marrying her following the intervention of village elders.

Vishal Singh alias Teju, hailing from Maharajganj village under Tilauthu police station limits, had been in a secret relationship with Laxmina Kumari, daughter of a relative, Bhikhari Yadav from neighbouring village Baradih. The relationship had started five years back when both met at a relative’s marriage.

Recently, Vishal came home on leave. On Wednesday, he secretly tried to sneak into his girlfriend’s home in the night after learning that other members of the family were sleeping on the roof top and she was alone in her room in the ground floor.

However, a family member woke up and saw him and raised alarm that a thief had sneaked into the house.

Vishal was caught and villagers gathered. Seeing the mob going berserk to thrash him, Vishal and Laxmina were left with no option but to disclose the truth. Vishal was locked in a room and his family and police were informed.

Vishal’s grandfather Panchu Yadav, an ex sarpanch and a respectable person of the locality, reached the place and a meeting of both villages was called.

As the couple were old enough and belonged to the same Yadav community, both the families agreed to their marriage. Soon, the village priest was called for the marriage rituals.

Hundreds of people from the locality participated in the marriage, solemnised with Hindu rituals on Thursday morning. Sweets were distributed and Vishal returned home with his bride.

Vishal’s grandfather, Panchu, who was the first to bless the couple, said his wish of a dowry-less marriage of his grandson was fulfilled and that his entire family was happy to get a bride of Vishal’s choice.

Indrapuri PACS chairman Umesh Kumar Singh and other village and block officials were among those who attended the marriage.

“As both were major and the family consented for the marriage, police had nothing to do except to bless the couple,” station house officer, Tilauthu, Pramod Kumar Singh, said.

Panchayat leaders, whose intervention led to the happy ending of an incident that could have gone sour, while blessing the couple, quipped that it doesn’t always happen that someone caught on suspicion of a thief is rewarded with a bride.