25-year-old man taken to court by Delhi police for ‘marriage’, rape of 14-year-old | Latest News Delhi

A 14-year-old was forcibly married to a 25-year-old in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, in January and was repeatedly raped and beaten by the man in three cities, including Delhi, in the last three to four months. They remained, police said.

The girl reported the incident at Jamia Nagar police station on Tuesday after she managed to escape from a rented accommodation at Batla House. An FIR of zero has been registered and forwarded to Prayagraj police for further investigation, police said. After the girl’s statement was recorded, she was taken to a women’s shelter.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast) Rajesh Deo said, “We have registered zero FIR in this matter under the provisions of the Child Marriage Act and the Indian Penal Code. It was duly forwarded to Prayagraj police.”

A senior police official said the minor came to the police station in a disturbed state. After calming down, she said she was a Class 9 student and wanted to continue her studies but her parents forcibly married her to the man against her will, the official said.

According to the complaint, the girl said the man took her to his house in Jhansi and forced himself on her. “She said that she stayed in Jhansi for two months and he took her to Delhi in March. The two lived in rented accommodation in Batla House. The accused allegedly started hitting the minor regularly and forcing himself on her, which prompted her to report the incident to the police,” the officer said.

“After arriving in Delhi, she sought help from an acquaintance and came to know about the office of a local women’s commission in the area. She came towards them and they took her to the police station,” the officer said.

The accused was charged under Sections 376 (rape), 366 (taking or abducting a woman as hostage) and 323 (hurt) of the Indian Penal Code, Section 6/21 of the POCSO Act and Section 9/10 of the Prohibition of Children of Marriage Act.

In March, the Delhi Women’s Commission intervened and stopped a ceremony involving the marriage of a 15-year-old girl in Sultanpuri. Authorities said they did well in curbing child marriages, with only a single case recorded in 2022, compared to the nationwide total of 1,002, according to the National Crime Records Bureau.