Dubai-returned groom duped, bride goes 'missing' before wedding in Punjab
Chandigarh, Dec 7: A Dubai-returned groom and his entourage of 150 'baraatis' were shocked when they arrived in Moga, Punjab, only to find his bride "missing" and that the wedding venue did not exist.
Deepak Kumar (24), who returned to Jalandhar from Dubai a month ago to marry Manpreet Kaur, who he had been talking to on Instagram for three years, but had never met, the police said.
After the incident the groom lodged a complaint against the bride, they said.
According to the police, the two had connected on Instagram three years ago but had never met in person.
Deepak said that he along with his family travelled from Mandiali village in Jalandhar to Moga for his wedding at the venue, as communicated by the bride.
Upon reaching Moga, the bride's family told that some people would escort him and his family to the wedding venue. However, even after waiting till 5 pm, no one showed up, he said.
He said they asked locals about the venue 'Rose Garden palace' but they informed that there was no such place in Moga.
The groom said that he worked as a labourer in Dubai and had been in touch with Kaur through Instagram since three years. He had seen her photos but never met her in person.
Their parents had arranged the wedding over phone calls, officials said, adding that he also claimed to have transferred Rs 50,000 to her earlier.
Deepak's father Prem Chand said he along with 150 'baraatis' came for the wedding, and that he had already hired taxis, paid for catering and a videographer.
Kaur hails from Moga and had earlier told that she works in Ferozepur, he said.
The marriage was fixed after speaking to her parents over the phone and guests were invited for the wedding, Chand said.
Meanwhile, Moga Assistant Sub-Inspector Harjinder Singh said they have received a complaint from Deepak Kumar.
He said the complaint was lodged after the groom's family could not reach the bride as her phone was switched off.
Further investigation in the matter is underway, he said.
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2 Indian nationals part of crew of luxury cruise ship that reported hantavirus outbreak
London (PTI): At least two Indian nationals are part of the crew of the Dutch vessel MV Hondius which reported a hantavirus outbreak with five confirmed cases and three deaths so far, according to the BBC.
The luxury cruise ship, operated by Oceanwide Expeditions, began its journey on April 1 from Argentina’s Ushuaia and is expected to arrive in Spain’s Canary Islands on May 10.
About 150 passengers and crew from 28 countries were initially aboard the luxury cruise, but dozens disembarked on the island of St Helena on April 24, according to the report.
Of the 28 nationalities onboard, 38 are from the Philippines, 31 from the UK, 23 from the US, 16 from the Netherlands, 14 from Spain, nine from Germany, six from Canada, and two crew members from India, among others, the BBC reported.
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The World Health Organization said on Thursday that five of the eight suspected hantavirus cases had been confirmed.
A 69-year-old Dutch woman, confirmed to have the virus, has died; her Dutch husband and a German woman were also among the fatalities. Their cases are being investigated.
The UN health agency has said the outbreak is not the start of a pandemic.
Maria van Kerkhove, an infectious disease epidemiologist at WHO, told a news briefing that the situation is not the same as six years ago with Covid-19 because hantavirus spreads through “close, intimate contact”.
Van Kerkhove said “this is not Covid, this is not influenza, it spreads very, very differently”. She said authorities had asked “everyone to wear a mask” on board the MV Hondius.
Those in contact with or caring for suspected cases, she added, should “wear a higher level of personal protective equipment”.
Hantavirus typically spreads from rodents - but in the latest outbreak the transmission between people was documented for the first time, the WHO said.
Meanwhile, health authorities are racing to trace dozens of people who have recently disembarked from the Dutch vessel MV Hondius.
Oceanwide Expedition said 29 passengers, of at least 12 different nationalities, had left the MV Hondius in St Helena, the British Overseas Territory.
It also said the body of one deceased person—now known to be a Dutch man - was taken off the vessel.
Seven of those who left the cruise liner were British nationals.
