CHENNAI: Police and child welfare department officials in Tiruvallur have arrested a 24-year-old man from Kolur for marrying a 16-year-old girl, even as her family allegedly tried to produce a fake Aadhaar card to show that she was an adult.
The girl from Gummidipoondi got married to the man at a temple and the reception was arranged at a marriage hall in Ponneri on Sunday. Acting on a tip-off, police and child welfare officials reached the venue and verified the bride’s documents, confirming that she was 16.
Sources said her family allegedly tried to produce a fake Aadhaar card to show that she was an adult. Police registered an FIR under the Child Marriage Act, rescued the girl and arrested the groom.
In another incident, a 19-year-old woman from Vannankuppam contacted police on Monday, hours before her wedding near Ponneri. She told the police that she was unwilling to marry her maternal uncle’s son, to whom her family had arranged the marriage. Police reached the venue and stopped the wedding.