Child marriage foiled in Shahapur in Thane; four arrested

Thane, Oct 6 (PTI) Four persons were arrested on Monday in Thane district for allegedly trying to get an under-age girl married, a police official said.

Acting on a tip-off, a police and District Child and Woman Welfare (WCW) team arrived at the 'haldi' ceremony of the 17-year-old girl in her house in Shenve in Shahapur on Sunday, Khinavli police station inspector Niteen Khairnar said.

Those arrested include the girl's father, the would-be groom and his father as well as a marriage broker, Khairnar said.

An FIR under Prohibition of Child Marriage Act., Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) was registered on the complaint by the WCW official, he said.

Shramjivi Sanghatana functionary Prakash Khodka, who tipped off the police, cited poverty for such incidents.

The groom's family allegedly agreed to give Rs 50,000 to the parents of the bride, he said. PTI COR BNM