Picking out the most expensive shaadi in town, posing as well-dressed guests to gain entry, and making off with jewellery and gifts — gangs of ‘band baaja baarat’ thieves are usually on the prowl during the wedding season. This year, to ensure the events go off without a hitch, wedding organisers have increased security at venues, mostly farmhouses, while Delhi Police is keeping an eye on criminals, mostly those in their 20s and juveniles, who could be part of the gang. Several organisers told The Indian Express that private security guards are being hired, depending on the scale of the wedding, while a shadow team ensures overall security and coordination at the venue. Said Mohsin Khan (37), owner of Vivah Luxury Wedding, “Based on the scale of the event, our clients have been making requests this year to increase security at venues, mostly farmhouses, to ensure no stranger gains entry to steal expensive items. security guards, who are outsourced, are deployed in civil clothes and given walkie talkies. they are in touch with the company’s team to alert them of any mishaps.” Khan added that based on the venue, anywhere between 6 and 12 private guards are deployed both inside and outside. Prashant Dubey, Managing Director of Elite Weddings India, which mainly organises weddings in Chhattarpur, said like every year, they will prioritise the security apparatus. “Time and again, we have received requests from clients’ families to increase security because of such cases (of wedding thieves) coming to light. So far, there has been no such case at our venues. Still, as a precautionary measure, security will be amped up. For weddings at five-star venues, we make do with the security provided by the hotel. A separate control room, consisting of staff from the wedding planning company, ensures coordination and scans CCTVs,” Dubey said. Planners also said farmhouses have been equipped with 6-12 CCTVs based on their size. Meanwhile, senior Delhi Police officers said the presence of PCR vans in and around farmhouses in Chhattarpur and other banquet halls has been increased to prevent any security breaches. “Last year, we had arrested several wedding thieves. The gang members, including children between the ages of 9 and 15 years, mostly operate in pairs to avoid suspicion,” said an officer. The thieves, whom police call the ‘Band Baaja Baarat’ gang, mostly steal jewellery, shagun items, gifts and cash. Said an officer from the Crime Branch, “The gang members mostly hail from three villages of Rajgarh district in Madhya Pradesh and have been carrying out wedding thefts for years. New members are recruited every year on contract to carry out the crime in metropolitan cities. We have not got any case so far but are in touch with wedding organisers regarding overall security arrangements at banquet halls.” Requesting anonymity, another officer said, “On our end, we are going through dossiers of adult members of these gangs who were previously arrested and are now out on bail.”
