UP man demands Rs-1 crore dowry after recording fiancee's private video; 4 booked

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Uttar Pradesh Police booked four members of a family in Kaushambi, after a man allegedly made a private video of his fiancee and threatened to make it public, demanding Rs 1 crore, police said on Tuesday.

According to the police, the woman's father, Pankaj Kesarwani, a resident of Manjhanpur town here, registered a complaint on December 19, alleging that he had arranged the engagement of his 22-year-old daughter with Utkarsh Agarwal, a resident of the George Town area in Prayagraj, on June 9, this year.

According to the complaint, the marriage was settled for Rs 25 lakh, and at the engagement ceremony, Kesarwani gave Rs 5 lakh in cash, a gold ring, and Rs 70,000 as a gift.

He said that the wedding date was fixed for February 8 of the following year, and after the engagement, Utkarsh Agarwal started communicating with his daughter through audio and video calls on her mobile phone.

Kesarwani alleged that the fiance of her daughter was gradually luring her and made some private video clips of her, and then threatened to make these video clips public, demanding Rs 1 crore as dowry.

When he told them over the phone that the marriage was settled for Rs 25 lakh and asked where the demand for Rs 1 crore came from, Utkarsh Agarwal and his father abused him.

In addition, Utkarsh's sister, Niyati Agarwal, called Kesarwani and threatened to make the video viral.

When Kesarwani went to meet them at their house in Prayagraj, Utkarsh Agarwal, his father Shobhit Agarwal, mother Shipra, and sister Niyati abused and humiliated him and threatened to break off the engagement and defame his daughter if he did not give Rs 1 crore for the marriage.

Superintendent of Police (Kaushambi), Rajesh Kumar, on Tuesday said that he had received a complaint letter, and on his orders, the police registered a case against the accused Utkarsh, his father Shobhit Agarwal, mother Shipra, and sister Niyati under relevant sections of the law.

An investigation into the matter is underway, he said.