CAIRO, EGYPT — A man jumped to his death from a balcony on his wedding night when he realized that his mother-in-law had tricked him into marrying her ugly daughter instead of the younger and prettier one his heart desired, the newspaper Al Wafd reported yesterday.

The newspaper said the bridegroom, identified as Mohammed Abdel Rahman, 29, courted and won the heart of the younger sister more than a year ago, despite competition from rival suitors in the southern city of Aswan.

His mother-in-law tricked his brother into signing papers wedding the groom to the older sister.

The two became engaged, but Rahman had to travel to his job in another Arab country, the newspaper said.

Before his departure, he tried to marry the woman but was refused by her mother, who said more time was needed to prepare the ceremony.

After arriving in the Arab country, which the newspaper did not name, Rahman instructed his brother to arrange proxy marriage proceedings on his behalf. His brother carried out his request, but unaware that Rahman was engaged to the younger woman, he signed papers linking him to the older sister, the paper said.

When Rahman returned to consummate the marriage a year later and learned he was married to the older woman, he jumped from the fourth-floor balcony and was taken to a hospital, where he died from internal bleeding, the newspaper said.