A timely tip-off received by the police officials here on Sunday morning helped prevent a child marriage, involving a girl who was 15 days short of her 18th birthday, from taking place.
Official sources said the marriage of the minor, a resident of Velampalayam in the city, with a 26-year-old construction worker from Mettupalayam, was scheduled to be held at a hall along Tirupur-Avinashi highway on Monday.
The girl’s parents are construction workers.
On hearing the news of the planned marriage, a team of officials from the Anti-Human Trafficking Wing, of the city police, led by Inspector E. Nirmala, and the volunteers of Child Line Cell went to the girl’s house and warned the girl’s parents of stringent action if they tried to marry off the girl before she attained the age of 18 years, as it was against the law.
Since the girl was to attain the age of 18 years in another fortnight, the parents of the bride and bridegroom decided that Monday’s function would be used to announce the date of marriage and that the marriage would be conducted after the girl attained 18 years on September 30.
