Kolkata, Aug 31 (SocialNews.XYZ) Three people, including the father of a minor girl, her husband and her mother-in-law, were arrested after Kolkata Police uncovered a child marriage case, officials said on Monday.
A case under the stringent Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, was registered against the girl's husband and mother-in-law in connection with the alleged marriage, kidnapping and sexual assault of the minor.
The case came to light after the girl's father continued to receive financial assistance under the state government's Kanyaratna Education Grant Scheme, which is aimed at supporting the education of unmarried girls and discouraging child marriage.
Officers from Haridevpur police station in the southern outskirts of Kolkata arrested the three on Sunday.
According to the police, the minor is a resident of the Nodakhali area of South 24 Parganas district. She had met a young man from Haridevpur in Kolkata and left her home with him around one-and-a-half months ago.
The young man allegedly married the girl and took her to his home in Haridevpur. Police said his mother was aware that the girl was under 18 but still accepted her as her daughter-in-law.
The girl's family allegedly kept the marriage concealed so that they could continue receiving financial assistance under the Kanyaratna scheme. The money was credited to the minor's bank account.
The police said the girl's father later contacted her in-laws and told them that he had no objection to his daughter staying with them as long as the family continued receiving the monthly government assistance. He also allegedly conveyed the same message to the girl over the phone.
However, the minor was required to return to her parental home for verification to continue receiving the benefit. She reportedly refused to return despite alleged threats from her father and told him that she wanted to remain at her in-laws' house.
The father subsequently approached an NGO and disclosed that his minor daughter had been married. NGO officials, in turn, informed the Haridevpur police, following which a team went to the girl's in-laws' house and rescued her.
The police arrested the girl's husband and mother-in-law and registered a case under the POCSO Act in connection with the alleged offences.
The girl's father was also arrested after police found that he had not filed a missing or kidnapping complaint when his daughter left home. Despite allegedly knowing about the marriage, he did not inform the police for nearly one-and-a-half months.
The police said the father approached authorities only after the financial assistance under the government scheme became an issue. He has also been named as an accused in the case and arrested on the same charges, officials said.
The minor has been rescued, and arrangements have been made to keep her in a safe place, the police said.
Source: IANS
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