Bavarian Trial-Bride Scheme Investigated

Officials are investigating marriage brokers in Bavaria who advertise Thai women as prospective brides on a trial basis, with a guarantee they can be returned and exchanged, police said.

The Bavarian state prosecutor’s office this month searched the offices of 10 marriage brokers operating in the Munich area, according to a police statement.

Three Thai women were arrested on charges of illegally entering West Germany, the statement said.

The women, mostly from poor families, are recruited in Thailand and promised work and a husband if they go to West Germany, said the statement.

They are then taken to Munich and offered to prospective spouses at prices of up to 10,000 marks ($6,060) with the guarantee that the women can be returned if the customer is not satisfied, the statement said.