Karnataka Police arrest husband, parents of girl on charges of child marriage

Karnataka Police has arrested a 46-year-old man and parents of a 14-year-old girl on charges of child marriage in Yelahanka New Town of Bengaluru. According to police, N. Guruprasad, a landlord from Chikkabettahalli, had lured the parents of the girl with money for marriage.

The incident came to light when the girl told a PG facility owner that she has been married to a 46-year-old man at a temple unwillingly. She came for work at the PG with her aunt. The owner of the PG then informed the police.

The girl, a school dropout, has been sent to the custody of Child Welfare Committee (CWC) and is presently kept in a government shelter for women in Wilson Garden of Bengaluru. The parents of the girl are daily-wage laborers. The police is now searching for the priest, who conducted the marriage.


Police said Guruprasad's wife had left him years ago and he had no children. After seeing the girl and the plight of her poor family, he approached the parents through an elderly woman.

He managed to convince the parents to marry their daughter to him for Rs 15,000.

The parents told the police that they have three daughters and poverty forced them to marry their 14-year-old child off to the 46-year-old man.

(Inputs from IANS)