11-year-old girl ‘married’ off to elderly man

THATTA: The human rights cell of police has taken into protective custody an 11-year-old girl sold into marriage and arrested her 54-year-old ‘husband’ and her mother.

Police, on information, raided a house in Hashim Machhi Village near Sujawal on Tuesday. They took Amina, daughter of Alloo Machhi into custody and arrested her ‘husband’ Qadir Bux Hingoro and mother Muradi who had allegedly sold the girl only for Rs35,000.

SSP of Sujawal, Usman Ghani Siddiqui, ordered registration of an FIR against Muradi, her son Hanif, maulvi Yousuf Lodho, maulvi Ibrahim, oath commissioner Faiz Mohammad Jhirko and four witnesses of the nikah on behalf of the state on Monday.

The in-charge of the human rights cell, Rafiq Soomro, told journalists that raids were being conducted to arrest the remaining accused.

Dawn