A 23-year-old man, accused of raping a minor girl last year, was arrested for discreetly marrying the victim near here. The incident was reported from Panavoor in Nedumangadu in Thiruvananthapuram district, police said on Tuesday.
Besides him, the father of the 16-year-old girl and an 'ustad', a Muslim priest of a mosque who facilitated the marriage were also arrested and remanded last night. The child marriage, which was held on January 18, came to light after the school authorities inquired about it following receipt of information regarding this.
Based on their complaint, police conducted a thorough probe and the three accused were held. According to police, the main accused identified as Al Ameer was on bail after being arrested for raping the same girl in 2021.
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Based on the complaint from the victim's family, a case had been registered against him last year and he was jailed but he was released on bail and continuously persuaded her family for marriage. Cases were registered against Ameer, father of the girl and the priest for child marriage now under various sections of the POCSO Act. A local court remanded the trio and sent them to jail, police added.
