Navsari police said the bride’s mother who is 40 years old left home after telling her family members that she was going to the vegetable market. (Representational Image) Navsari police said the bride’s mother who is 40 years old left home after telling her family members that she was going to the vegetable market. (Representational Image)

Days after a textile businessman of Surat, whose son’s marriage was fixed on February 13 with a woman from Navsari, allegedly eloped with the bride’s mother on January 10, the groom’s family members have decided to go ahead with the wedding with his uncle taking up the responsibility.

A relative of the groom said, “After consulting our relatives and friends, we decided to go ahead with the marriage. The bride’s father is confused but we are offering him full support. We don’t want to cancel the marriage as invitation cards have been distributed and all preparations are done.”

Family sources said the marriage of the groom from Katargam area in Surat city was fixed with a bride from Vejalpore village in Navsari district. Preparations were on in full swing when the groom’s father allegedly eloped with the bride’s mother. The bride’s father is a diamond artisan and broker in Navsari and both the families belong to the same community.

Also read | Groom’s father and bride’s mother who ‘eloped’ from Surat appear before police

According to the sources, 25 years ago, the groom’s father, now 43, who was from poor economic background, had an affair with a woman from a rich family. The woman’s family was against the relationship and she was married to a youth from Navsari. The man got married to a woman from Surat.

After their children grew up, the man sent a marriage proposal of his son to the daughter of the woman who was his lover. Both the families agreed to the marriage after which the estranged lovers got in touch again. Both the families used to visit each other’s house and the couple met regularly. Finally they decided to elope, according to family sources.

On January 10, the bride’s mother came to Surat and met the groom’s father and they reached Kadodara area on National Highway 48 from where they took a bus. The groom’s father called his friend Rajubhai and told him about his step and requested him to take his bike from the bus stop to his house.

Navsari police said the bride’s mother who is 40 years old left home after telling her family members that she was going to the vegetable market. When she didn’t return, her husband lodged a missing complaint with Veja-lpore police station in the evening by when her mobile phone was switched off. The groom’s family also lodged a missing complaint with Katargam police station the same evening.

Vejalpore police station assistant sub-inspector Jayesh Singh said, “After the missing complaint was lodged on January 10, the woman’s husband again came to the police station and said that he suspected that his wife eloped with a man from Surat. We talked to the family members and found that the suspected man also went missing the same day. The mobile phones of both are switched off. We have sought help from the mobile service provider to trace their location.”

Talking to The Indian Express, a relative of the groom, said, “We were busy with the marriage preparations when this took place. Our family is shocked and our prestige has been damaged. We are taking extra care of my bhabi (mother of the groom) and also assured her that her husband would return.”

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