Canadian MP meets victims of marriage fraud

Moga, Jan 14 (PTI) Voicing concern over the plight ofwomen who are duped into sham marriages by NRIs, Canadian MPRubi Dhalla today said that such alliances for the sake ofgoing abroad should be avoided.

The lawmaker, currently touring Punjab, met about 40girls, who had been allegedly abused by their NRI husbands, ata special gathering of panchayats.

Perturbed over sham marriages and incidents of abuseof women, some of whom had paid Rs 30 lakh to 40 lakh to thegrooms, she appealed to the families not to seek alliancesabroad only for the sake of going out of the country.

Former union minister Balwant Singh Ramoonwalia, whoaccompanied Dhalla, urged the lawmaker to raise the issue offraud marriages in Canadian parliament.

Ramoonwalia, who is also Chairman Lok Bhalai Party,appealed to the Punjab government to enact a strict law sothat NRIs could be taken to task.