Timely intervention of the police and revenue officials stopped the wedding of a 14-year-old girl at a private marriage hall in Kottaimedu near Ukkadam in the city on Sunday afternoon. Elders in the family however claimed that they were only arranging for her engagement and the function was called off.
The incident came to light after a relative of the girl called journalists and informed about the wedding. The girl is studying 9th standard in a private school. The caller claimed that the girl’s parents, residing at Karumbukadai, had borrowed Rs. 20,000 from the groom’s family a few months ago. Due to exorbitant rate of interest, the dues had escalated to Rs. 2 lakh and the family could not repay it. In exchange for repayment, the groom’s family residing at Tippu Nagar in Saramedu proposed marriage for their 21-year-old son with the borrower’s daughter. The families had reportedly agreed to conduct the wedding on Sunday. Police sources said the groom was arrested by the police for his alleged involvement in a few crimes and was released recently. On reaching the marriage hall about half-an-hour before the function, the police found the girl’s family there.
Revenue officials and the police took the girl’s parents to the South Taluk office and got a statement from them in writing that they will not arrange for the girl’s marriage till she reaches 18 years of age.
The incident came to light after a relative of the girl called journalists and informed about the wedding. The girl is studying 9th standard in a private school. The caller claimed that the girl’s parents, residing at Karumbukadai, had borrowed Rs. 20,000 from the groom’s family a few months ago. Due to exorbitant rate of interest, the dues had escalated to Rs. 2 lakh and the family could not repay it. In exchange for repayment, the groom’s family residing at Tippu Nagar in Saramedu proposed marriage for their 21-year-old son with the borrower’s daughter. The families had reportedly agreed to conduct the wedding on Sunday. Police sources said the groom was arrested by the police for his alleged involvement in a few crimes and was released recently. On reaching the marriage hall about half-an-hour before the function, the police found the girl’s family there.
Revenue officials and the police took the girl’s parents to the South Taluk office and got a statement from them in writing that they will not arrange for the girl’s marriage till she reaches 18 years of age.