Hyderabad: Hundreds of girls from the country, including Hyderabad, were trafficked to the Gulf countries in last three decades by submitting marriage certificates printed in Bhendi Bazaar in Mumbai and Chatta Bazaar in Hyderabad.
The police examined the records from the chief qazi of Mumbai, Farid Ahmed Khan, and found that between 1990 and 1992 the qazi issued 1,000 marriages certificates. The records were brought to the city by the police and a special team, set up with experts in Urdu language to translate the documents.
“Around 200 marriage certificates were issued by qazi Farid every year and in all the cases men were senior to the girls and were foreign nationals,” an official said.
The foreigners are from Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Kuwait and other GCC countries. “All men were above 50 years, while the women were below 25 years. We suspect that teenagers were shown as majors by furnishing false affidavits ,” the official said. In one case, qazi Farid solemnised marriages of two women to a single man.
The women are from Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and other Indian states. Those from Hyderabad are from Amannagar, Misrigunj, Tallabkatta, Vattepally and Yakutpura.
“As per the record, girls as young as 18 years were married off to foreign nationals above 60 years. Surprisingly, these certificates were accepted by the embassies and visas were issued,” the official said.
The police conducted raids on the office of qazi Ali Abdullah Rifai and seized several marriage certificates and booklets. “We suspect that the marriage booklets and the certificates were printed at Chatta Bazaar,” said the official. Hundreds of certificates and marriage booklets were couriered to the city from Mumbai on charges ranging from Rs 20,000 to Rs 30,000.
V. Satyanarayana, DCP, south, had ruled out involvement of any embassy officials in the racket.
Omani national threatens local girl
The Omani national, Ahmed Abdullah Amur Al Rahbi, who married a teenager from Hyderabad, is luring another girl through an agent and is ready to pay Rs10 lakh to her family, said the police.
The Omani national married a teenager from Falaknuma four months ago and took her abroad following which a case was registered against him and two qazis and a few brokers were arrested. “Ahmed was keen on marrying a 17-year-old girl from Kanchanbagh but the girl refused. After reaching Oman, he contacted a local agent, Haji, and sent him Rs 40,000 through a money exchange firm and is harassing the girl,” V. Satyanarayana, DCP, south, said.
Meanwhile, the police registered one more case against Qazi Rifai for threatening and cheating a divorcee whose marriage he had solemnised with an Omani national. The woman, who has three daughters, got married to the Omani national who is visually impaired.
