The marriage was held with fanfare on February 6, but the reception, scheduled two days later, never took place.

A few hours before the guests trooped in for the function at the bridegroom?s house, the bride sneaked out, leaving the in-laws red-faced.

The Karmakars of Marhatta Ditch Lane searched for the bride at her house in Gobinda Pal Lane, in Tallah, before lodging a complaint with Shyampukur police station.

?There is no case as such, since the bride is an adult and has moved out on her own. We have started a missing case because she has not been traced,? said an officer of the police station.

The cops claimed that the girl had run away with her lover Niranjan Mondal, alias Buddhu, a trader who lives close to her Tallah house. Investigation has revealed that the two had an affair for a long time. Buddhu, too, could not be traced.

The Patras were quite happy having fixed their 20-year-old daughter?s marriage with Sushanta Karmakar, 25, who works as a bus driver in a reputed English-medium school. The girl had not raised any objections, the bride?s parents told police. The two families met several times before the wedding date was fixed on February 6.

The ceremony was held on an empty plot near the Patra home. The next morning, Sushanta returned home with his wife.

?The girl was unusually quiet. She exchanged only a few words with the family members. We thought she was tired,? stated a member of the Karmakar family.

On Wednesday afternoon, with the preparation for the reception in full swing, the bride excused herself from the relatives to go to the bathroom. She was not seen again.