Belagavi: A minor girl from Karnataka was allegedly kidnapped and forced into marriage after her mother failed to repay a loan of Rs 50,000, police said on Saturday.
The incident took place in a village in Savadatti taluk of Belagavi district of the southern state. A case has been registered under the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act at Tilakwadi police station and two accused, including the husband have been taken into custody.
According to the complaint, the girl's mother, who works as a watchman in Belagavi, borrowed Rs 50,000 from the accused family to cover her daughter's medical expenses and her daughter-in-law's pregnancy care. Unable to repay the loan, she was pressured by the accused to marry off her 17-year-old daughter.
Police officials said that despite resistance from the mother and the girl, the accused allegedly abducted the minor on September 18, 2024. On September 19, she was forcibly married to a young man from the accused's family. The victim later alleged that she was harassed by her husband and forced into physical relations.
Police Commissioner Yada Martin Marbanyang confirmed the arrests, stating, "We have registered a case based on the complaint filed by the victim and her mother on Thursday (January 16). The accused youth and his mother have been arrested and were produced before the JMFC court on Friday, which remanded them to judicial custody for 14 days. Further investigation into the case is on."
