Cuttack: An elderly man stopped child marriage of his granddaughter in Odisha’s Cuttack, a source said Thursday.
The minor girl hails from Gurudijhatia village of Athagarh area in Cuttack district.
According to the source, the mother of the minor forcibly attempted to get the girl married to a man from Uttar Pradesh at Gadagadia Temple in Cuttack.
Upon learning about the non-consensual marriage, the minor’s grandfather informed the Childline officials, the source added.
Subsequently, the Childline officials swung into action and foiled the child marriage bid and rescued the victim.
Police have detained an alleged ‘middleman’ and a few members of the girl’s family for involvement in the illegal marriage attempt. However, the groom managed to escape the scene.
“By the time cops reached the spot, a mob gheraoed us there and helped the groom escape. We managed to rescue the minor and brought her to Cantonment Police Station. She will be produced before CWC (Child Welfare Committee). The girl is only 16 years old and has passed her matriculation examination,” a Childline official said.
The official further informed that the middleman is the main perpetrator behind the forced marriage. The alleged broker traffics young girls from Odisha to Uttar Pradesh by luring poor families, he added.
A case has been lodged at Cantonment Police Station in Cuttack in this regard.
PNN
