Amritsar: Decked in wedding finery and accompanied by 150 baraatis, Amritsar native Pargat Singh arrived at the Taj Palace banquet hall, ready to wed his fiancée and take her home. He, however, had to return empty-handed.

It is only when he and his relatives found the banquet hall locked did Singh, a paramedic, realise that he had been duped and deserted by the woman he loved.

A report in the Times of India quoted Singh as saying that he met Simranjit Kaur a few months ago when she came to the hospital he worked at in search of a job. While helping her in the job search, Singh said the two fell in love and decided to get married.

Simranjit reportedly introduced Singh to a middle-aged woman named Baljeet Kaur, saying she would help finalise the wedding date and with the preparations. Singh said his fiancée made him hand over Rs 2 lakh to Baljeet.

The bridegroom and his family have lodged a police complaint and a search is on for Simranjit and Baljeet. “I called every mobile number I had with me, but no one picked up,” Times of India quoted Singh as saying.

One of Singh’s brothers is in the Army, while another is an NRI.