Trichy: 5 booked for forcing girl, 15, into child marriage

TRICHY: Trichy city police, on Thursday, booked five people and arrested one of them for forcing a 15-year-old girl into child marriage.
All women police station (AWPS), Cantonment arrested a 27-year-old man from Edamalaipattipudhur in the city for forcefully getting married to a 15-year-old girl from Lalgudi area. The police also booked the parents of the girl and the man under the sections of the Prohibition and Child Marriage Act 2006.The police took the action based on the complaint from an officer Gowri, 58 from the social welfare department in Manikandam block in Trichy.
Inspector of police, Anandi Vedhavalli, on Friday, said that the man was a distant relative to the girl’s family. Both the families decided to get them married despite the girl being a minor. Vedhavallil further said that the conduct of the marriage, held on May17, was kept under the wraps.
“The families of both decided to organise a reception for the two. They printed invitation and distributed it to everyone thus bringing the marriage to light,” said the inspector.
On receiving information anonymously, Gowri lodged a complaint after which the police arrested the man. The rest of them are absconding and are being searched, said the inspector. The girl was rescued and handed over to the child welfare committee (CWC), Trichy.