Kerala: 16-year-old girl married off to her rapist, 3 arrested

Mangalore Today News Network

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 25, 2023: Three people were arrested after a 16-year-old girl was married off to a man, who repeatedly raped her in 2021, at a private function held on January 18 in Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram.

 

Among those arrested are 23-year-old Ameer--the man to whom the girl was married off, Ustad Anwar Sadath (39), who solemnized the marriage, and the girl’s father.

The incident came to the fore after the authorities of the school, where the girl was studying, enquired about her long absence and came to know that she had been married off.

Based on their complaint, Nedumangadu police arrested three people and booked them under relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act and Child Marriage Prohibition Act. The accused have been remanded to judicial custody for 14 days.

According to the police, Ameer repeatedly raped the girl in 2021 and was imprisoned for four months. Later, he was granted bail. Police said even after coming out of jail, Ameer continued to visit the girl at her house and raped her.

The girl’s parents later decided to marry her off to Ameer, who, the police said, is involved with the local mafia and has many criminal cases registered against him.

Courtesy: India Today