15-year-old sold into marriage by mother rescued

According to police, on May 1, a woman approached them and told them that her mother had sold one of her two stepsisters for marriage to a man in Najafgarh.

The complainant said her mother had two daughters from her second marriage, aged 14 and 15.

The complainant said that on April 20, the mother and one person took the two girls to Najafgarh.

"She (the mother) took Rs 70,000 from the 29-year-old person and married off the 15-year-old girl to him," said a senior police officer.

The 14-year-old reportedly had told the complainant and her maternal grandparents about the incident, which was then reported to the police.

A case under sections 363 and 370 of the IPC was registered and investigation was taken up.

In the course of the investigation, efforts were made to trace the girl by personnel from Vasant Kunj North police station.

The 15-year-old girl was finally traced to Rohtak, Haryana, from where she was rescued from the house of the 29-year-old man on May 10.

"The statement of the girl was recorded under section 164 of the CrPC and she has alleged sexual assault. Accordingly, sections 365 and 366 of the IPC, along with Section 8 of the POCSO Act was added to the case," said the senior police officer.

The 29-year-old arrested accused was identified as Praveen, who works as an e-rickshaw puller.

It was the persistant effort of five policemen who rescued the girl from the clutches of human trafficking.

In the last three years, more than 300 cases of human trafficking were reported in the national Capital, revealed the data of Delhi Police.