Pune: The officials of Sangvi police have arrested seven persons including the parents, uncle and aunt of a 19-year-old girl who was forcefully married to a 46-year-old man from Osmanabad district, who has a 14-year-old daughter. The groom married her for a male child, she alleged. The groom has also been arrested. 

Police officials said that the groom worked as a teacher at a Zilla Parishad School. He has not given divorce to his first wife and married the victim at Alandi. She had escaped from Tarkheda in Osmanabad and come to her mother’s place. Before they could send her back, she approached the police. She had also posted a video message to police.

Based on her complaint, the Sangvi police had registered the case on Friday for offences under sections 366 (kidnapping, abducting or inducing woman to compel her marriage, etc.), 284 (negligent conduct with respect to poisonous substance), 385 (putting person in fear of injury in order to commit extortion), 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint), 323 (assault), 504 (insult), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code. The incident took place from March 23 to till date in Sangvi, Alandi and Terkheda. 

The girl told the police that her parents married her off without her consent. “I had not seen the boy when the marriage was fixed. They took me to Terkheda and introduced to the groom who is older than my father and has a 14-year-old daughter. I refused to marry him. However, my mother said that he is a teacher and will give a flat to us in Pune besides paying all our debts. When I didn’t budge, she threatened me with dire consequences,” she stated in her complaint.