UMERKOT: Eight persons were booked by the Kunri police on Tuesday for their alleged involvement in selling of an eight-year-old girl, marrying her off to a 22-year-old man and then keeping her in illegal confinement.

The case was registered by Kunri SHO Mir Mohammad Kaloi under Sections 4 (marrying a child) and 6 (solemnising child marriage) of the Child Marriage Restraint Act 1929, and under Sections 496 (unlawful marriage) and 511 (punishment for attempting to commit punishable offence) of the Pakisan Penal Code against Sher Muhammad Kapri, Raham Ali alias Babu Kapri, Qadir Bux Kapri, Abdul Rehman Shaikh, Jumoo Shaikh, Beero Kapri, Jameel Kapri and Attai Lund.

According to Kunri SHO Kaloi, he had been informed on Monday that eight-year-old Rukhsana, daughter of Abdul Rehman Shaikh, had been sold for Rs80,000 to be married off to 22-year-old Jameel Kapri, resident of Sirajuddin Kapri village in Samaro taluka.

When he visited Noor Mohammad Kapri village, Jhanji deh of Kunri taluka, he found that the marriage was being solemnised. He had been informed that Rukhsana’s sale had been carried out through Attai Lund, resident of Haji Ibrahim Memon village, he said, adding that out of the total amount of Rs80,000, Rs10,000 had been paid to Attai Lund, another Rs10,000 to Jumoo Shaikh, Rukhsana’s uncle, and the remaining Rs60,000 to her father.

SHO Kaloi said he met Rukhsana’s mother, Raheema, and tried to persuade her not to continue with the marriage and she assured him that Rukhsana would not be married off till she was old enough.

However, on Tuesday police were informed that the marriage between Rukhsana and Jamaal Kapri had been solemnised and both had gone to Sirajuddin Kapri, bridegroom’s native village.

Subsequently, a case was registered against the eight suspects, said SHO Kaloi. The Kunri police raided the bridegroom’s village but members of the Kapri community refused to hand over Rukhsana and the suspects.

Source: Dawn