Assam: 15 qazis arrested for conducting child marriages in Hailakandi

Hailakandi: Fifteen people were arrested in Assam's Hailakandi district for allegedly conducting child marriages by preparing fake documents, police said on Thursday.

Acting on a complaint filed by a registered qazi that 16 people were involved in conducting child marriages by posing as qazis, an operation was launched in different parts of the district on Wednesday, they said.

Initially, 16 persons were taken into custody but one was let off due to lack of evidence, Additional SP Shamir Daptari Baruah said.

The arrested persons are accused of conducting child marriages by preparing fake documents, he said.

The arrests were made from Hailakandi town, Panchgram, Katlicherra, Algapur, Lala, Ramnathpur and Bilaipur areas of the district, Baruah said.

The arrested persons were produced in a court, and remanded to police custody for interrogation.

The state government began a massive crackdown on child marriage in February, arresting over 4,000 people.