The Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) of Kotdwar Police in Pauri district has failed to arrest the accused in a child marriage case lodged under section 370 of IPC and section 9 of Child Marriage Act.
The case was registered on the report lodged by the alleged victim, the daughter of Shivrajpur, Kotdwar resident Mahesh Singh Rawat on September 3. The report was lodged against her mother Meena, step father Mahesh Singh Rawat, her husband Rahul, his mother and uncle, residents of Shekhpura village near Dhampur in Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh. The mother and step father of the alleged victim are absconding, while her husband Rahul committed suicide on September 12.
Yogendra Singh of the AHTU told The Pioneer that just after the case was registered, a raid was conducted to arrest the mother and step father of the victim but they had slipped away. The police are making effort to attach their property. The police force also went to Shekhpura in Bijnor recently, where due to death of the husband of the victim, his family was in mourning. The villagers informed the police, that depressed at the police report being lodged that he attempted to commit suicide by self immolation on September 6. He was then taken to a hospital in Delhi where he died on September 12. The villagers claimed that Rahul’s family did not know that his bride was a minor.
According to the police, the victim has alleged that she was married to Rahul about nine months ago. She further alleged that her mother and step father had sold her into marriage for a sum of Rs two lakh and that she was beaten and tortured. She produced a certificate which shows her age to be 15 years. Presently, the police are attempting the arrest the victim’s absconding mother and step father. Action would be taken against the accused in-laws after investigation into the allegations, said the police.