Thane: 14-year-old tribal girl 'sold' to 35-year-old bridegroom; eight arrested

Thane: Police on Wednesday arrested eight persons including a 35-year-old man who had just wedded a 14-year-old tribal girl, allegedly after paying money to her parents, in Thane district of Maharashtra.

The girl belongs to the Katkari community, a police official said, adding that men from other parts of Maharashtra coming to the tribal belt of Thane district and paying for brides was an emerging trend in the region.

According to the police, the victim's father arranged her marriage to Mangesh Gadekar (35), resident of Ahmednagar district in western Maharashtra, for Rs 1.20 lakh.

Dayanand Patil, a local volunteer of Shramjeevi Sanghatana, an organisation working for the welfare of tribals, first received a tip-off about the planned marriage and alerted police, the official said.

A police team reached the Pinjale village on Wednesday and stopped the proceedings just when the groom and bride had garlanded each other.

While a case was registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) section 143 (trafficking) and Prevention of Child Marriage Act against 11 persons and eight of them including Gadekar were arrested, the girl's father and step-mother were absconding along with a middleman, said inspector Sandipan Sonawane of Ganeshpuri police station.

"Men from districts like Nashik and Ahmednagar, where brides are not easily found, often come to Thane to arrange marriages with underage girls. This is a growing menace," said inspector Sonawane.