BENGALURU : The Sarjapura police have arrested a person, while eight others are absconding, in connection with a child marriage case.
Police said that on Thursday, the grandmother of the 14-year-old victim and relatives planned her marriage with a 25-year-old man, who runs a hair-dressing outlet. The girl’s father, a daily-wage labourer, left his job eight months ago and since then, he has spiralled into alcoholism. Following this, the girl’s mother started a tea shop to earn for the family. The parents had then sent their only daughter to her grandmother’s house in Sarjapura, the police said.
Mallikarjun Baladandi, Superintendent of Police, Bengaluru Rural district, said, “On February 15, the girl, a Class-8 student, was coerced into the marriage by her relatives at a temple in Sarjapura. On the same day, the girl visited her mother’s house at night, where her mother noticed her wearing a mangalsutra. The girl then recounted the entire incident to her mother, who proceeded to file a police complaint.”
The police have booked a case against the girl’s relatives, as well as the groom’s parents, who are residents of Hoskote. The victim’s paternal uncle, Srinivas, has been arrested, while the others including the victim’s 63-year-old grandmother are absconding.
The Sarjapura police have registered a case under POCSO and The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act.