Police in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa stopped a father from marrying his 12-year-old daughter off to a 72-year-old in Charsadda town and arrested the groom, ARY News reported.
The girl's father reportedly agreed to sell her to the old man for PKR 50,000. Fortunately for the girl, just before the 'Nikkah' (wedding), police stormed the scene and arrested the groom, Habib Khan, and the officiator of the wedding (Nikah Khwan).
In the meanwhile, the girl's father fled the scene. A case has been registered against the father, the 72-year-old groom and the 'Nikkah Khwan' under the Child Marriage Act, the report said.
Instances of child marriages have been occurring even after laws of the marriage act being in place.
Recently, law enforcement agencies foiled a similar attempt in Rajanpur and Thatta where young girls were forced into marrying older men. ARY News said that in one such case, a 11-year-old was about to marry a 40-year-old in Punjab's Rajanpur.
In another instance, a young girl was by force married to a 50-year-old landlord in Thatta but fortunately, she was saved because of police's prompt action.
In May, cops arrested a 70-year-old man for marrying a 13-year-old girl in Swat. She was married off by her father. Police swung into action swift, arresting the groom and the minor's father.
(With agency inputs)
