Police detectives have busted a child bride marriage involving a 50-year-old man and a little 10-year-old girl.
Posted by Thandiubani on Fri 22 Dec, 2017
Police
in Pakistan rescued a 10-year-old child bride who was sold to a
50-year-old man by her mother to pay off a £3,400 loan. Pictured: The
bride (right) with her mother
Police in Pakistan rescued a 10-year-old child bride who was sold to a 50-year-old man by her mother to pay off a £3,400 loan, Dailymail has reported.
The man identified as Jeetmal Mehar offered £5,400 to Pathani
Mangrio's parents to marry her. However, things took a different turn
after officers raided the marriage broker's house just before the
contract was signed and arrested 11 people complicit in the deal but the
groom escaped.
Gulzar Mari, a policeman investigating the case, said: 'On December 19, around 11am we received information that a minor girl was being married to a 50-year-old man.
'We took immediate action and raided the house of Muhammad
Mehar. He was the broker in this marriage and had taken £340 from the
groom and £170 from bride's family.'
The bride's mother Masmat Nabiat said that she had agreed to
marry her daughter off as the family had to pay a loan of around £3,400.
She said: 'My husband was ill and for his treatment we had taken loan from some influential people.
'My husband is unable to stand on his feet and can't walk that is why he was not present at the Nikah ceremony of our daughter.
'Due to financial constraints we couldn't pay back the loan.
The people we had taken money from were pressuring us that they will
recover their loan amount by selling our house.
Caught red handed: Qazi Haji Solangi who performed the marriage of the girl to the 50 year old man
'Muhammad Mehar contacted us through some sources and offered £5,400 if we will marry our daughter to Jeetmal Mehar.
'Neither I nor my husband wanted to do this injustice to our
daughter but we had no choice. The groom also said he will not demand
any dowry and he will bear all the expenses of marriage.'
Qazi Haji Solangi, who performed the marriage said: 'I was
approached by Muhammad Mehar for reciting Nikah. I didn't know the girl
is only 10 years old as I didn't ask for age of bride and groom.
'I just asked the names of the bride, groom and their parents name and recited Nikah.'
Police in Sindh province have registered a case under Sindh Child
Marriages Restraint Act and produced all the arrested people before a
court on Wednesday.
The court has ordered the bride to be sent with her maternal
grandfather and the others to jail until investigation is completed.
Under law, child marriage is a punishable offence in Pakistan with a minimum sentence of two years.
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