The South Zone Police in an effort to check the growing child bride racket in the Old City launched an all-out offensive against clandestinely operating contract marriage bureaus and brokers.
On credible information that some Arab sheikhs lodged in exclusive guest houses in the Old City were being contacted by some brokers and Qazis who were offering to fix contract marriages for the former with young girls coming from poor families for lucrative amounts, the police raided many of the so-called marriage bureaus in Falaknuma, Chandrayangutta, Talabkatta and other localities. During the raid on a house of a Qazi, the police seized documents pertaining to marriages being fixed or performed between aged sheikhs and young girls. The Qazi and three Omani nationals were arrested.
It may be mentioned here that the police a few days back had unearthed a major child bride racket flourishing in the Old City wherein underaged girls coming from poor Muslim families were being forced into contract marriages with aged and affluent sheikhs coming from various Arab nations. The police had also rescued 12 minor girls and arrested some persons.
It was reported that one of the main accused in the racket was an aged Qazi Rafiq, who was arrested in the raids on Monday night, and who was absconding when the police had originally unearthed the racket a few days back. The Qazi, who was in hiding, was traced by the police in surprise operations conducted last night in various localities in the Old City.
As a matter of fact, during the investigations the police reportedly discovered that there were some 72 Qazis who were allegedly involved in the racket. In fact, one of the Qazis aged 72 years had himself married a 15-year-old girl, and another had married as many as 10 minor girls in the past.
filed in:Crime, Hyderabad Crime, Muslims, Children