Man marries off minor daughter to 35-year-old in Noida, arrested

NOIDA: A resident of Rabupura in in Gautam Buddh Nagar district was arrested on charges of rape and under relevant sections of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act after his wife alleged that he married off their 11-year-old daughter to a 35-year-old man.

The 35-year-old groom from Aurangabad and a person who played the matchmaker have also been arrested along with the father of the minor on the same charges, police said.

Police said an FIR has been registered on the basis of the woman’s complaint, wherein she said she was against the wedding, which took place nearly two months ago.

Manoj Kumar Pant, SHO, Surajpur police station, said the girl was presently in Aurangabad with her “husband”. He said two teams have been sent to rescue her. “While one team had been tasked with bringing her back and arresting her husband, another team had been sent to Rabupura to look for the abscond- ing father of the minor. We have also arrested the marriage broker. We will get clarity on the circumstances and conditions under which the arrangement took place only after we question them,” said superintendent of police (rural), Aashish Shrivastava.

Police said they suspect money was involved in the arrangement of the marriage. They said the facts of the case would be known after thorough investigation of the accused, as the complainant did not know much about how the marriage was arranged.