In Maharashtra's Navi Mumbai, the police have filed a case against three individuals, which includes the parents of a 16-year-old girl from Bihar. They are accused of allegedly arranging a "marriage" for the girl with a man.
The police have also pressed rape charges after the girl was found to be pregnant. The official said the girl and her family hail from Sitamarhi district of Bihar. The teenager was married off to a 35-year-old a few months ago.
The crime came to light after the girl recently visited a friend in Navi Mumbai. After learning about her illegal marriage, the friend took her to the Nhava Sheva police, who sent the minor to a child rehabilitation centre, the official said.
Following a health examination at the facility, it was discovered that the 16-year-old girl was four months pregnant. As a result, the police filed a case under the Indian Penal Code for repeated rape, the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act.
The first information report (FIR) includes the names of the girl's parents and her purported "husband." The case has been subsequently transferred to the Sitamarhi police in Bihar, as the alleged crime was committed in that jurisdiction.