Hyderabad: Another girl falls prey to contract marriage

Hyderabad: A photograph, in which a young woman in bridal attire is standing with an elderly man, has gone viral on social media.

A 20-second audio clip is being circulated along with the picture. In the audio clip, a man requests the public to inform the local police if they have any information about the couple in the picture or their wedding. People suspect that the photo may be evidence of a contract marriage solemnised in the city.

The photo first surfaced on social media late on Wednesday evening. It proceeded to go viral on Facebook and WhatsApp. On Thursday, people began posting messages claiming to have spotted the man in the city, with some vague details.

A few people said that the man in the picture was regularly spotted at Santoshnagar, while others said that he was usually seen at Engine Bowli.

After the photograph went viral, the police launched an inquiry to find out if the couple was from the city.

P. Yadagiri, the inspector of Falaknuma, said that they received reports that the girl and her father were from the Falaknuma area. Upon conducting an inquiry they found out about “Petrol Mahmood,” a man who owned a petrol bunker near Falaknuma Bus depot five years ago, who was reportedly the girl’s father.

“We are trying to track him down to find out if the woman is a relative of his and to find out when the picture was taken. Our men have come to know that the man lives in the Pahadi Shareef area,” he said.