Maneka seeks Sushma's help to rescue girl married to Omani sheikh

Union Minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi has asked Hyderabad police to identify the persons who “forced” 16-year-old girl to marry an elderly man from Oman for Rs 5 lakh.

In a series of tweets, the Minister also assured that she would request External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to intervene and bring the young girl of Hyderabad back to India from Oman.

“This incident of a 16-yr-old being forcibly married to an elderly man in Oman is deeply disturbing. Have asked the Commissioner of Police, Hyderabad, to investigate the case and identify the persons who forced this illegal marriage. I would request Smt.

@SushmaSwaraj to intervene and bring the girl back to India from Oman (sic),” the Union Minister tweeted on Thursday.

Maneka has asked the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) to contact the family members of the victim.

According to media reports, a 16-year old girl, a student of Class VIII, was married to a 65-year-old sheikh from Oman about three months ago.

The matter came to light after the girl's parents on Wednesday filed a complaint with the Hyderabad police, accusing their relatives of being involved in the illegal marriage of their daughter with an elderly Omani national for Rs 5 lakh.