Five individuals, including the father of a minor girl and the bridegroom, were arrested by Ponda police on Thursday in relation to a case of child marriage involving the marriage of a 17-year-old girl in a ceremony at Tisk-Usgão.
Based on a complaint from a teacher in Karwar, Karnataka, police have taken action. The incident happened in April of this year at Tisk-Usgão, according to Ponda police.
The victim girl was forcefully married off by the accused, who were identified by the police as Esunath Ramanna Lakampur (28), Yellavva Lakampur (40) of Haveri Karnataka, Laxman Waddar (60), Bhaskar Waddar (40), both of Tisk-Usgão, and Laxmi Raja Waddar (34), a resident of Karwar, despite their knowledge of her age.
Initially, a complaint was filed in this regard in Karwar; however, after discovering that the crime had occurred in Tisk-Usgão, police forwarded the complaint to Ponda police.
In accordance with Sections 9, 10, and 11 of the Child Marriage Act of 2006, the police have registered an offense against each of the five accused and filed a case of child marriage. Since the crime was committed inside Goa's borders, Section 8 of the Goa Children's Act has also been implemented. There is currently an ongoing investigation into the case.