In a bizarre incident, a man has been charged for fraud after he "married" his sister in a mass wedding ceremony to get government benefits. The incident came to light after a person who saw their wedding picture identified the "couple" as siblings.

The incident happened in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, reported DNA. The wedding was held on Dec. 11 in the city of Firozabad.

The mass wedding ceremony was organized by the local government to aid people from poor families. The Indian government conducts several such ceremonies every year that have hundreds of couples taking part in them.

Under the mass wedding scheme, the state government gives Rs 35,000 ($459) for each couple. While Rs 20,000 ($262) is deposited in the bride's bank accounts, gifts worth Rs 10,000 ($130) are also handed over to the couple. In the ceremony held last week, 51 couples got married.

However, the incident came to light after the pictures of the event appeared on media. A person from the village from which the man and the woman hail identified them as siblings and alerted the authorities, according to the report.

Authorities immediately opened an investigation into the incident. While the "couple" has been booked for fraud, the authorities also confiscated the household items provided to them.

The primary investigation revealed lapses in the inquiry carried out by local authorities who verified and approved them for the mass wedding event. The authorities also sent notices to the Block Development Officer of the village from where the couple comes.

This isn't the first time such fraud is being reported. In 2018, a woman was arrested after she got married twice a year to avail benefits. Her first wedding happened in February 2018. The woman then registered for another mass wedding in November and managed to get into the list. However, her husband did not turn up for the wedding. She then found another man and got married again in November. However, the benefits paid by the government were taken back after the fraud came to light.

The same year, authorities arrested the husband of a local people's representative who connived with a few couples to engage in such frauds.

India's massive wedding industry is worth an estimated $40-50 billion a year, according to research firm KPMG
Indian wedding | Representational Image AFP / Sam PANTHAKY
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