Lokmat News Network
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar
A 14-year-old Sneha (name changed) escaped years of abuse and called the police. Her grandparents had sold her into marriage for Rs 2 lakh. Authorities rescued her and registered a case on Tuesday.
At 10, Sneha (name changed) lost her father in an accident, and her mother abandoned her. Originally from Shevgaon taluka, she was studying in Class 9 and dreamed of pursuing higher education despite her difficult childhood. However, her grandparents saw her as a liability. They arranged her marriage to a farmer’s son from the Deolai area and, according to Sneha, took Rs 2 lakh in her presence from the groom’s family. On January 1, they forcibly married her off to a 25-year-old man in their village. For four years, she suffered abuse from him. The groom’s family was also made to bear all the wedding expenses.
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Couldn’t bear the abuse, called for help
On February 4 at 9.30 am, Sneha secretly called the police control room for help. Acting swiftly, Damini Squad head Kanchan Mirdhe directed officers Kalpana Kharat, Rupa Sakhala, Kalpana Nagare, Manisha Bansode, Pooja Jadhav, and Sarita Kundare to locate her. Sneha guided them to her house over a phone call, and nearly 90 minutes later, the team reached the village near Sai Tekdi. They entered the house pretending to ask for water and met Sneha, who narrated her ordeal.
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"I want to study, please send me to my aunt"
Sneha (name changed) could no longer endure her husband’s constant force for physical relations. Desperate for freedom, she pleaded, "I want to study, please send me to my aunt in Pune." Acting on her complaint, the police registered a case against her husband, in-laws, and grandparents under serious charges. The case was transferred to Shevgaon police, and Sneha has been placed in a government shelter home for her safety.