A minor girl married off to a 28-year-old relative has been rescued and the man and his parents arrested for the "child marriage" that took place in Jangaon district in Telangana, police said today.
The marriage of the girl with Ashok, who was already married and deserted by his wife, took place on June 22.
Based on a complaint from the Women and Children's Welfare department following a tip-off, the 17-year old girl was rescued.
The girl, now under the care of the department, would be handed over to her parents, police said.
Ashok, who was already married, and his parents had been arrested, they said adding a case had been registered under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act against them, the parents of the girl and the priest who solemnised the weeding.
Assistant Commissioner of Police A Madhusudan denied a media report which alleged police were bribed to allow the girls marriage to take place.
Initially, the girl was shown as a major based on the birth date mentioned in her Aadhaar card. After verification, it was found that she was only 17 years old as per her class X school certificate, he said.
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