Indore’s ‘Jab We Met’ Saga: BBA student elopes, marries stranger in real-life Bollywood twist
3 min read
K K Jha
Indore: In a story that could rival the plot of the 2007 Bollywood blockbuster Jab We Met, a 22-year-old BBA student from Indore, Shraddha Tiwari, vanished from home on August 23, only to return seven days later as the wife of a man she met on a train. The dramatic tale, filled with heartbreak, chance encounters, and a temple marriage, has left her family, the police, and the city buzzing with disbelief.
Shraddha, a final-year student at Gujarati College, left her home in the MIG police station area after a disagreement with her parents, intending to elope with her boyfriend, Sarthak Gehlot. However, when Sarthak failed to meet her at the Indore railway station and informed her over the phone that he no longer wished to marry her, a heartbroken Shraddha boarded a train to Ratlam alone. It was on this journey that fate intervened in a cinematic twist.
At Ratlam station—made famous by Jab We Met—Shraddha encountered Karandeep Yogi, an electrician who had occasionally worked at her college. According to police reports, Shraddha, overwhelmed by despair, allegedly considered jumping off the moving train. Karandeep, recognizing her distress, intervened and reportedly saved her from a suicide attempt. When Shraddha insisted she could not return home unmarried, Karandeep proposed, and she accepted. The couple traveled to Maheshwar-Mandleshwar, where they married in a temple, later visiting the Sanwariya Seth temple before heading to Mandsaur.
On Thursday, August 29, Shraddha contacted her father, Anil Tiwari, from Mandsaur, informing him of her safety and marriage. Anil, desperate for her return, sent money for train tickets after hotels refused the couple a room due to a lack of identification. On Friday morning, Shraddha and Karandeep arrived at the MIG police station in Indore, where she declared she had married Karandeep of her own free will. However, the police, skeptical of the whirlwind romance, have demanded a marriage certificate to verify her claims and are reviewing CCTV footage and travel records to confirm her timeline.
Anil Tiwari, devastated by his daughter’s decision, expressed doubts about her mental stability, alleging Karandeep had claimed to have saved her from suicide. “I do not accept this marriage,” Anil told reporters, adding that he had counseled Shraddha for hours, but she refused to return home with him. He has requested 10 days to keep the couple apart, stating, “If Shraddha still insists on living with Karandeep after this, we will accept her decision.” Anil also revealed that during Shraddha’s disappearance, the family had announced a ₹51,000 reward and hung her photograph upside down outside their home, a superstitious ritual believed to ensure a missing person’s return.
The police, led by Additional DCP Rajesh Dandotia, are questioning both Shraddha and Karandeep to piece together the events of the past week. Sarthak, the boyfriend Shraddha initially planned to elope with, told authorities he had not been in contact with her for 15 days due to family opposition. Meanwhile, Karandeep has disputed Shraddha’s claim that he worked at her college, asserting they met by chance on the train.
This extraordinary tale has drawn comparisons to Jab We Met, where Kareena Kapoor’s character, Geet, plans to elope but finds love with a stranger, played by Shahid Kapoor, during a train journey. As Indore grapples with this real-life drama, questions linger about Shraddha’s mental health, the legitimacy of her marriage, and the motivations behind her choices. For now, the city remains captivated by a love story that seems scripted by Bollywood itself.
