Eight people have been arrested for facilitating the marriage of a minor girl at Ashok Vihar in North-West Delhi. Among the arrested is the man the victim was married off to. He has been charged with paying Rs.80,000 to the intermediaries for the marriage.
According to the police, the girl comes from an impoverished background and lived with her parents, both of whom work as daily wage labourers, in Wazirpur near Ashok Vihar.
Describing the sequence of events that led to the arrests, a police officer said the girl’s mother told them that a few days ago an acquaintance informed her about a 25-year-old cycle repairer Dharamvir, who they believed could be a suitable groom for the girl.
The victim’s parents agreed to get her married to Dharamvir and also performed a symbolic ritual at a local temple on May 1, said the police.
Three days later, the complainant came to know that Dharamvir had hatched a conspiracy to marry the girl and had paid a total of Rs.80,000 to the several go-betweens, including a temple priest. This left them wary of his intentions and fearing that Dharamvir could traffic the girl, they approached the police.
Following the complaint, a case was registered and the police arrested eight people, including Dharamvir.
