Ali Kazimi in Person

A beautiful bride caught in the clutches of scheming in-laws and a sinister husband-unfortunately, this is no Bollywood heartwrencher, but a disturbing investigation of individuals exploiting the loopholes created by cultural norms and the vagaries of immigration. The past few years have seen a remarkable increase in “runaway grooms,” Indian Canadian men who travel back to India for arranged marriages, only to disappear after taking the bride's entire dowry. Once back in Canada, they quickly file for divorce, pocketing the money and leaving their brides stigmatized and broke. Interviewing victims in India, as well as a perpetrator in Canada and a host of activists, scholars, and lawyers, Kazimi uncovers a crime born out of greed and a dowry culture where “daughters are considered a stranger's wealth.”