Six family members arrested for minor girl\'s marriage and rape in Hyderabad

HYDERABAD: The Falaknuma police booked cases against a 57-year-old man for illegally marrying a 16-year-old girl and raping her in a lodge. The victim’s family got them married as a settlement for a pending debt.

Police arrested six family members, while the prime accused is at large.

According to police, the victim, a resident of Teegala Kunta in Falaknuma, was living with her aunt, Hoor Unnisa, after her mother’s death a few years back.

“Her father had remarried and was living in another part of the city. Earlier this month, Hoor conspired along with her husband Mir Farhathullah and son Mir Rahmatullah to marry the girl off to some rich person, for which they sought the help of two brokers, Mohammed Abdul Rahman and Waseem Khan. They found a man from Kerala, Abdul Lateef Paramban, who was willing to marry a young girl from the city and the marriage was finalized,” said DCP of South Zone, Gajarao Bhupal.

As per their plan, they took the girl to the office of Qazi Mohammed Badiuddin Quadri at Malakpet on December 27 and solemnized the marriage by using forged documents despite the girl resisting the match.

After the police were alerted by the victim’s step-brother on December 28, Falaknuma police formed special teams and arrested all the six persons, including Quadri, while the groom fled from the lodge before the police could reach.

The Falaknuma police, who initially registered a case under various sections of Child Marriage Act 2006, later added Sections 120 B, 376 (2) (I) (N) and 420 of IPC and also Section 5 (N) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

“Efforts are on to arrest the prime accused and other absconding persons in the case,” the DCP said.