A reluctant groom looked glum as he tied the knot with his bride after he failed to show up to the wedding but she tracked him down more than 12 miles away and dragged him back to the altar.

Media in India reported that the groom failed to show up to his wedding in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh State, after getting cold feet.

After no-showing at the mandap, his bride called him to ask where on earth he was.

He replied that he had gone to fetch his mother to bring her to the ceremony, but the bride did not believe him and resolved to track him down herself.

Local media reported that she went on a chase of more than 20 kilometres to locate the missing man.

She eventually found him on a bus close to a police station beyond the city limits.

After a tense stand-off that reportedly lasted two hours, the bride and the couple’s respective families reportedly dragged the reluctant man to a nearby temple.

Images show how relatives looked on as the pair unenthusiastically tied the knot following the groom’s failed escape bid.

While the bride is dressed to the nines, the groom looks down in the doldrums in his short-sleeved T-shirt and jeans.

According to local media, the couple’s respective families praised the bride for her “courage to save her marriage”.

Local media also reported that onlookers chastised the man for “running away from the responsibility of marriage”.

The couple’s identities were not reported by local media.