Chinese groom arrested for inviting fake wedding guests

Shaanxi TV later interviewed the wedding 'guests' who admitted to having been paid 80 yuan ($12) by the groom

A man residing in Northern China was arrested on his wedding day when his wife's family realised that the 200 guests he had invited to the wedding were all paid actors.

The 'Liu' family became suspicious during conversations with the groom's side when they said they were "just friends" with the groom without elaborating any details. Things became even more suspicious when the wedding ceremony started without the presence of the groom's parents.

A regional TV station, Shaanxi TV, later interviewed the wedding 'guests' who admitted having been paid 80 yuan ($12) by the groom, Wang, to pretend to be family or friends. Among the paid actors were taxi drivers and students, and one of them revealed having been contacted on a social media platform called WeChat to negotiate a payment for the act.

The couple had reportedly been together for three years but the bride had not been suspicious in the beginning since both of them belonged to different social circles.

While the motive behind the groom's stunt or the laws he's broken is not evident, some people resorted to suggest that the wife's family disapproved of the marriage since he was not very well-off, hence leading him to be ashamed and not invite his actual family and friends to the event.

Chinese social media users reacted differently, some such as user Sina Weibo said "how can he be so poor, and then pay 200 guests?". While other users speculated circumstances that may have made him too embarrassed to invite family and friends. A police investigation is currently underway.

 

This article originally appeared on BBCNews