Girl rescued from early marriage

Timely act:14-year-olds father was paid Rs 30,000

The Hubli police have rescued a 14-year-old girl from the city from being married off to an aged person in Gujarat. This comes close on the heels of the Kalaghatagi police unearthing a women’s trafficking racket.

According to police, the girl from Jagadish Nagar in the city was about to leave for Gujarat to get married to a well-off aged businessman. But the police intervened and rescued the girl. Now, she is housed at the juvenile home at Ghantikeri in the city. Though the incident took place a week ago, it has come to light only now.

The girl, who lost her mother some years ago, was living with her alcoholic father. Being the sole bread-earner at her house, she was working at a brick kiln at Gokul village near Hubli.
Recently, an agent from Jamakhandi in Bagalkot district had paid Rs 30,000 to her father.

After getting the money, her father had agreed to send his daughter to Gujarat to get married to the businessman.

Efforts to marry off the girl came to light when she told the owner of the brick kiln where she was employed that she was not coming for work, henceforth.
Kiln owner’s help

The kiln owner, while gathering details about her marriage, came to know that the man who was marrying her was aged and she was made a scapegoat for the businessman’s lust. He informed the Gokul police about the matter.

The police swung into action and took the girl’s father Ramachandra Ganiga and agent Javed Mulla into custody, while the girl has been sent to a juvenile home here.