A man said to be from neighbouring Somalia has been arrested by Somaliland’s national police force after posing as a bridesmaid.
In Somali culture, the maid of honor does not only assist the bride during the wedding ceremony but also helps the bride with setting up her new house.
The man lived with the newly wedded couple for three weeks following the wedding ceremony.
Abdirahman Ismail, the distraught groom, who revealed the story to Somali Cable, said that he didn’t notice that his wife’s bridesmaid was a man. Ismail said that the man wore makeup and truly resembled a female.
The man’s cover was blown after his mother came to the house looking for her son.
“A woman claiming to be his mom came to our house and asked us if we’ve seen her son, Abdirahman. I told her that we’ve never seen her son and that there’s only a girl named Asma who’s living with us. That’s when the woman told me that Asma is actually her son, Abdirahman.” said Ismail.
Upon finding out that the bridesmaid was a man in disguise, the husband reported the case to Somaliland police. Both the bride and the man were subsequently arrested by police.
Ismail said no family members have come to bail out the bride and the man, due to the shame attached to the story.
According to a source within Somaliland’s national police force, the man originally hails from Mogadishu. It is not known whether the bride also hails from neighboring Somalia.
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If so, she is expected to be deported along with the individual and his family back to their country of origin.
