3 more Oman nationals in police net in contract marriage case

Two locals including a chief Qazi has also been arrested in connection with the alleged trafficking of minor girls under the guise of ‘contract marriages’ with elderly men from Gulf countries

HYDERABAD: The Hyderabad Police on Tuesday arrested three more Oman nationals along with two locals including a chief Qazi in connection with the alleged trafficking of minor girls from the city under the guise of ‘contract marriages’ with elderly men from Gulf countries.

Omani national Al Sheyadi Sulaiman, 70 years, who claimed before police that he came to the city for medical treatment, was found to have actually come here for his marriage and was looking for minor girls, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South Zone) V Satyanarayana told reporters here. A broker from Oman identified as Al Shayadi Mohammed Khalfan had brought Sulaiman here to perform his marriage and investigation is underway to find out other victims who were trapped by him and trafficked to Oman and other Gulf countries, the DCP said.

The third Omani national Al Awdi Yasir, who married a city woman, had brought one visually challenged 75-yearold Oman national Abdullah Mubarak, who had already married ten times before for another marriage, the senior police official said.

Along with the three Omani nationals, police also arrested chief Qazi Ali Abudullah Rifai, who allegedly provided girls to foreign nationals by maintaining a network of brokers including women to search girls from poor families of the city, Satyanarayana said.

He added, they also arrested one local person Nayab Ibrahim, who assisted Rifai in performing the marriages of Arab nationals.

All the three Omani nationals were in touch with Rifai, he said.

Police have also initiated measures to deport two other Oman nationals -- Abdullah Mubarak and Al Shayadi Sulaiman Khamis Mohammed, son of 70-year old Al Sheyadi Sulaiman, for want of evidence, the official said.

Mubarak, who works as an Imam in Oman, is visually challenged and a chronic kidney patient undergoing dialysis thrice a week, said the official.

He had come to Hyderabad under the guise of treatment, the DCP said, adding investigation revealed he was already married ten times before to young girls from the city, but most of them either have shifted their residences while others have requested that their names should not be revealed.

“As victims are not preferring complaints against him and due to lack of sufficient evidence to book him in a criminal case police have decided to deport him along with Khamis Mohammed, who had come to the city for performing his father Sulaiman’s marriage,” Satyanarayana said. NEW DELHI: BJP MP Varun Gandhi has backed giving asylum to Rohingya Muslims in India after security vetting, evoking a sharp reaction from Union minister Hansraj Ahir, who said those who have national interest in mind should not make such statements. Ahir’s criticism came after Varun expressed his views in an article in a Hindi daily.

Following the MOS Home Affair’s remarks, Varun tweeted on Tuesday that his article focused primarily on defining India’s asylum policy, with clear demarcations on how “we would accept refugees”.

“As for the Rohingyas, I’ve called for empathy, leading potentially to asylum, while vetting each applicant for national security concerns (sic),” he tweeted.

Ahir, while criticising Varun’s stand, told reporters here that, “Jo desh ke hith mein sochenga woh is tarah ke bayan nahi dega (Anyone who has national interest in mind, won’t make such statements).”

Varun’s remarks were at variance with the government’s stand on the issue.

Terming the Rohingya refugees as “illegal” immigrants, the government had recently told the Supreme Court that some of them were part of a “sinister” design of Pakistan’s ISI and terror groups such as the ISIS, whose presence in the country will pose a “serious” national security threat.

The BJP, in its national executive yesterday, adopted a resolution supporting the government’s stand on the Rohingya issue, saying it fulfilled its responsibilities by providing humanitarian relief to Bangladesh for Rohingya refugees while ensuring that internal security was not compromised for its 125 crore citizens.