The Kalaburagi police rescued a 16-year-old girl who was set to be married to a 33-year-old man from Gujarat and arrested six people, including the groom, in Goudanhalli village, Chincholi taluk, Kalaburagi district, on Thursday night.
The 16-year-old girl hailing from a poverty-stricken family in Tandur in Vikarabad district of Telangana was set to be married to Dharmesh Vasaram Konjaliya (33) hailing from Jamnagar in Gujarat on Thursday.
Acting on a tip-off, a team led by Chincholi police rushed to Mallamma Rajappa’s home at Goudanhalli where the marriage scheduled to take place. The police verified certificates of the girl to ascertain her correct age.
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Later, the girl and Dharmesh and his relatives were taken to the police station at Chincholi where a case was registered against Dharmesh under different sections, including prevention of child marriage and human trafficking.
During questioning, Dharmesh revealed that Dinesh, one among the six arrested, had got married to Sridevi’s daughter from Tandur in Vikarabad district a few months ago. Sridevi and her elder sister Mallamma along with Narsimalu had fixed Dharmesh’s marriage with this girl and they were also paid Rs.30,000.
The police arrested Dharmesh his friends Dinesh, Purushottam and Rana from Jamnagar ; and two women, Sridevi and Mallamma, from Chincholi taluk. Narsimalu, key accused in the case, was absconding.
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A team lead by District Child Protection officer C.V. Raman, Child Development Project Officer Jaganath Gada, and Child Welfare Committee member Vittal Chikani rescued the girl and admitted her to the Bala Mandir.