Gangtok, March 7 -- Just thirteen days before her wedding reception, a woman from Khamdong, Singtam, discovered that her fiance had been secretly staying at a hotel in Gangtok with another woman. The discovery shattered not just a relationship - it exposed an alleged fraud worth over Rs 15 lakh in wedding expenses that had already been incurred.

The bride's family had already invested approximately Rs 15,00,000 on wedding preparations including professional catering services, bridal clothing and accessories, printed and distributed invitation cards, and extensive hill-cutting work for the construction of a pandal (a large ceremonial tent commonly erected for weddings in the region). In addition to these expenses, the woman had personally...