BARIPADA: A child marriage was foiled by police and district child protection unit (DCPU) in Radho village under Udala police limits on Sunday. Police said the parents of a minor girl had arranged her marriage to 35-year-old Pramod Kumar Singh of Uttar Pradesh.
After getting information from reliable sources, the local police went to the spot and stopped the marriage after confirming that the girl was minor. Three persons who had acted as brokers managed to escape. The groom, who had reached Udala a few days ago, was detained for further interrogation, said police, adding necessary action will be initiated against him.
The investigation revealed that the parents of the minor girl are illiterate and were not aware of the legal age of marrying a girl, said sub-inspector Madhusmita Kar.
“We have registered a against three brokers who were involved in the case. We will soon nab them,” she said.
Child marriage has emerged as a major challenge for the district administration despite several programmes to empower the girl child. District Child Protection Unit officer Mamata Mayee Biswal said at least 99 child marriage cases were reported in Mayurbhanj district in 2017 of which 25 cases were reported from Rashgobindpur block.