Need Legal Advice

Location: Delhi

1.  A marriage was fixed between my brother and a girl through family discussions. 

   1. During the engagement/marriage discussion period, the girl’s family voluntarily transferred a sum of money to us.

   • There was no demand for dowry from our side.

   • The amount was given as a voluntary gift.

   • There was no written agreement attaching any condition to the money. 3. Later, my brother decided not to proceed with the marriage because he felt there was incompatibility in attitude and personality. She took 24 hrs to reply to “Hi/Hello”, never showed any interest in getting to know him.

   • There was no fraud, cheating, or dishonest intention from the beginning.

   • The decision was taken before marriage. 4. After the marriage was called off, we informed the girl’s family that we would return the amount given. 5. We repeatedly requested their bank account details to refund the full amount. 6. The girl’s father responded in writing stating that he would share bank details “at the right time” and refused to provide them immediately. 7. We sent a written message stating:

“We are ready to refund the amount immediately upon receiving your bank details. Until then, the amount is kept separately.”

8. The girl sent a voice note threatening suicide. • The voice note is saved and preserved. • No abusive or provoking response was sent from our side. 9. After this, her family started giving threats (verbal/phone-based). 10. There has been: • No dowry demand from our side. • No harassment. • No financial misuse of the amount. • The amount is still kept separately and ready for refund. 

What legal action can they realistically take in this situation, and what preventive steps should we take to protect ourselves from any false allegations or harassment?