Mumbai: As Valentine's Day approaches, touts gear up to get couples hitched

Agents work at the waiting room of the marriage registration office in Khar West, with their numbers pasted on the furniture

With Valentine's Day approaching and the city recovering from the travails of the COVID-19-caused lockdown, many couples from have been aiming to tie the knot on February 14. With lovebirds making a beeline for the marriage registration office, touts have been using the rush to their advantage, offering home visits by the marriage officer for Rs 35,000 on the coveted date, which happens to be a Sunday, and amid COVID-19 protocols that have prohibited home visits. An investigation by mid-day has revealed that a number of touts rule the roost at the office of the sub-registrar for marriage at the Khar Telephone Exchange building in Khar West.

They approach couples waiting in serpentine queues that go down the staircases to the lobby of the marriage registration office.

Marriage Officer Sharayu Vivek Sawant inside her office

Throughout the last week, mid-day's undercover reporters observed the operations at the Khar premises. Couples who visit the enquiry counter, asking for Sunday, February 14 as the date for registration of marriage, are met by rejection as officials say that registration on a Sunday is not possible. Turned away, the couples are then approached by the touts, who offer to get them the desired dates for extra charges.

Some visitors who requested the dates February 15 or 16 were told 'booking full aahe' and were approached by touts standing next to the enquiry counter.

Hemant More (circled) in a group picture inside the sub-registrar's office

"We can arrange home visits by a marriage officer on Valentine's Day if you want," touts tell visitors. They take different fees from different people, based on their appearances and body language.

To get the marriage registered at the office, they charge between R3,500 and R6,000. While home visits by marriage officers have been suspended amid COVID-19, the touts offer those for R35,000 plus a pick-up and drop facility.

Agent Hemant More

Marriage Officer Sharayu Vivek Sawant, however, denied the presence of touts.

mid-day witnessed a few touts working on their laptops connected to a charging point in the waiting hall. The official government fee for marriage registration is Rs 150.

The Telephone Exchange Building in Khar that the marriage registration office operates out of

The operations appear to take place right under the nose of Sawant, who reports to Joint District Registrar Narayan Rajput, whose office is located in Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC).

How to get married

Couples need to get themselves registered online a month in advance to get a marriage date after submitting relevant documents. On the appointed day, Sawant registers their marriage in the presence of three witnesses and a marriage certificate is issued.

The marriage registration office; (right) The waiting room at the marriage registration office

People residing between Dahisar and Bandra and Mulund and Kurla can get themselves registered at the Khar office.

Touts paste their mobile numbers on the walls of the waiting hall. Though the advertisements have been removed now, mid-day has a photograph of one such advertisement bearing a tout, Hemant More's name, pasted on a piece of furniture.

Sources at the marriage office told mid-day that More is one of the oldest touts and 'every single official knows him'. On his Facebook profile, More claims to be working at the office of the Marriage Registrar, Khar west. He has also shared his website's address - www.marriageregistrationmumbai.com - on his social media. The website shows his office address as Khar Telephone exchange, which is the official address of the state government's Marriage Officer. According to sources in the registrar's office, More has been working in coordination with several government officials for several years and has many accomplices.

mid-day's probe on spot

During the visits to the marriage registrar's office, mid-day's reporter saw More working on his laptop in the waiting hall and approached him.

More: Kay pahije, lagna karaycha aahe ka?

mid-day: I need to enquire about marriage registration.

More: Ok

mid-day: Will it be possible to get a marriage date on Valentine's Day, that is, February 14?

More: It is a Sunday.

mid-day: Will it be possible to arrange a home visit of the officer (Sharayu Sawant) on February 14 for my marriage? The venue is in Borivli.

More: Ok, but you need to pay R35,000 two days in advance.

mid-day: It is too much for me, kuch kam karo na.

More: We recently got many celebrities and their relatives married at their venue. This is the normal charge for home visit. The marriage officer will hand over the certificate immediately after the function.

mid-day: How will you all come to the marriage hall?

More: You need to arrange a pick-up and drop facility for madam (Sawant). And if there is traffic, she can reach Borivli station by train and your relative/friend will have to pick her up from the station. But dropping her at home is essential. It is a fixed amount. There is no room for bargaining because our work will be done smoothly on Valentine's Day.

More: (For option of marrying in Khar) You need to pay R10,000 for this marriage at Ram Mandir, Khar East on February 14. But the marriage certificate will be given after a couple of weeks. Two days before the marriage, you need to submit your documents and fees to me.

'No touts in our office'

When contacted, Sawant, said, "There is no tout at the office. I have been checking regularly."

"I have not seen anyone working on the computer or laptop. There is no tout at all. Some visitors might have been operating the laptops in the waiting hall. There is no tout at all," Sawant said.

She further claimed, "I often visit the waiting hall and if a visitor is found working on their laptop, I request them to shut it down. But they often insist on completing their important work. How can there be? My office is next door."

"The marriage registration fee is only Rs 150. If anyone tries to fleece couples at the office, they can approach me. In my office only the bride, groom and three witnesses are allowed to enter," said Sawant. She added that she does not visit venues to register marriages.

The Joint District Registrar Narayan Rajput said, "I am unaware of this. One can apply for a home visit by the marriage officer after paying a fee of around R300 but this facility has been suspended due to COVID-19."

"If people are assuring you of home visits at or charging extra, people need to file a complaint or approach me directly. I will check if touts are operating from our Khar office," Rajput said.

Rs 300
Govt fees for home visits during normal times

Conversations with other touts

Agent Anil Singh, Agent Mahesh and Agent Jitendra Bhagat

mid-day also spoke to three other touts - Jitendra Bhagat, Anil Singh and Mahesh. Following are the conversions with them:

mid-day: I need to get married on Valentine's Day and need a certificate on the same day.

Bhagat: The office will be shut on Valentine's Day because it is Sunday.

mid-day: Can you arrange a visit by the marriage officer at my venue in Borivli?

Bhagat: Yes, but it will cost you between Rs 20,000 and Rs 25,000.

mid-day: But Rs 2 5,000 is a huge amount. We want to marry outside, say on February 12, and then visit your office for the certificate with a February 14 date. Would that work?

Bhagat: Yes, but if you are getting married outside, please don't wear mangalsutra, sindoor or maang tikka. Also, don't reveal it to anyone in the registrar office that you are married. Our consultation fee will be Rs 4,500 for getting you married at the office. And the marriage certificate will cost Rs 1,500.

Anil Singh demanded Rs 6,000 to get married at the office and asked for an advance.

Singh: You need to pay half the amount (Rs 3,000) in advance at the time of online registration and the remaining would be taken immediately after the marriage.
mid-day: Can you assure that I won't be cheated?

Singh: Yes, yes. I will scan your marriage certificate and get it printed here. Everything will be ready within 15 minutes.

Agent Mahesh said no dates are available before February 17.

Mahesh: Get married in a hall and get yourself registered at a BMC office. All the dates before February 17 are booked. February 14 is a Sunday and February 15 and 16 are completely full.

mid-day: How much I will have to pay for February 17 or 18?

Mahesh: Rs 3,500.

mid-day: Could you please make arrangements for February 15?

Mahesh: You will have to pay Rs 6,000