Chennai, June 04: A 26-year-old woman today walked out of her marriage over the eleventh-hour demand for more gold jewellery as dowry and had her would-have-been groom and his parents arrested. Police said Vidhya, hailing from the city's Mambalam locality, went to an all-women's police station at day-break, just a few hours before the marriage ceremony, and complained about the demands made by the family members of her husband-to-be Balasubramanian working in a balm-making factory.
The police attempted to talk her out of her decision not to go ahead with the marriage but Vidhya, backed by her family members and relatives, including her parents, refused to yield to persuasion by women police or the bridegroom and his family who rushed to the police station to reach a compromise.
Vidhya, in her complaint, had alleged the bridegroom party demanded more gold jewellery than agreed to at the time of fixing the marriage, police said.
The trouble had broken out last night when Balasubramaniam's family and friends said the utensils, purchased by the family of the girl for their daughter, were too small and wanted them changed for larger ones.
Threats by Balasubramanian's younger brother that the wedding would be called off if the demand was not met led to a heated altercation and the decision to call off the wedding despite the large amount already spent on arrangements for the wedding.
Police said Balasubramanian and his parents have been arrested under the Dowry Prohibition Act and remanded to 15 days judicial custody by a city magistrate. Bureau Report