Police have arrested a young man for reportedly marrying his underage girlfriend by altering her Aadhaar Card to reflect that she was of legal age, officials said on Thursday.
According to an official, the girl's father filed a complaint at Dahisar police station, stating that his daughter's actual date of birth is May 7, 2006. However, the accused altered the birth date on her Aadhaar Card to March 12, 2004.
"The incident came to light when the 23-year-old accused and the girl married on Monday and came to the police station as part of legal formalities. We called the girl's father and this discrepancy in age was revealed," he said.
"Her father gave police her original birth certificate that had been submitted at her school in Rawalpada in Dahisar East. The girl admitted the date of birth was changed by her at an Aadhaar centre to show she was an adult," he added.
According to a police officials from Dahisar police station, the accused was arrested on charges of abduction, cheating, forgery, and offences related to child marriage, following a complaint lodged by the girl's father. The accused was subsequently remanded in judicial custody.