Police let child marriage take place for bribe in Telangana

A schoolgirl was married off to a 40-year-old man despite alerting the police and child protection officials.

The illegal wedding took place in Jangaon district without any hurdles. An audio clip has emerged showcasing the reason behind it and is now being investigated by police officials.

The clip is a recording of a phone conversation that suggests a woman police officer along with a local cop visited the girl's house in the district to investigate but instead of stopping the marriage, they asked for a bribe from the groom and left after taking it.

The police even happened to leave an advice for the groom to complete the wedding quickly and disperse before anyone else comes.

A probe has been ordered into this by the district police chief and a case has been registered against the Police officer under the Prevention of Child Marriage Act. 

Police informed that action will be taken against all of them who supported the marriage. Prior to the marriage, the girl had told a child rights activist in Hyderabad about her being forced to become the second wife of an older man, a liquor dealer, as he wanted children.

The activist, Achyutha Rao had informed the police of the girl’s address. Shockingly, the groom also spent the night with the teen, which amounts to rape. Local police, meanwhile claimed that they had visited the girl’s home and were shown proof that she is not underage.

However, the girl shared her school certificate making it clear she is underage.