72-year-old arrested for marrying underage girl

FIR registered against girl’s father, Nikahkhwan, groom

CHARSADDA:

Tangi police foiled the marriage of a 72-year-old man with a 13-year-old girl in Charsadda district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa on Saturday.

Police told The Express Tribune that Alam Syed, father of the underage girl, Saya Gul, had agreed to marry her off to a man old enough to be her grandfather in exchange for Rs5 lakh as a bride price.

The police have arrested the 72-year-old groom, Habib Khan, who is from Urmar village of Peshawar. Girl’s father Alam Syed, however, managed to escape when police raided the marriage party. Police registered cases under the Child Protection Act against the girl’s father and the groom. The ‘nikahkhwan’ has also been arrested.

“SHO Tangi, Muzaffar Khan, arrested a 72-year-old man and ‘nikahwan’ after receiving a complaint from local residents in this regard. A case has been registered against the people involved in the episode,” a police official said.

Police Station Tangi received information that in Ziarat village, Alam Syed, son of Umar Muhammad, was selling his 13-year-old daughter for Rs.0.5 million, and she was being married to a 72-year-old resident of Urmar.

In light of this information, under the orders issued by District Police Officer (DPO) Charsadda Masood Ahmed, DSP Tangi Zardad Ali Khan supervised an operation led by SHO Police Station Tangi Muzaffar Khan.

They conducted a raid and promptly arrested the accused, 72-year-old Habib Khan, son of Ghulam Habib, and the nikahkhwan Wajidullah, son of Aminullah, residents of Urmar, Peshawar, on the spot.

However, the 13-year-old girl’s father escaped from the scene taking advantage of the confusion followed by police raid.

SHO Tangi Muzaffar Khan said that an FIR has been lodged against all the people involved in the incident. The absconding accused will be arrested soon and brought to justice, he added.