Pithoragarh: The Uttarakhand police arrested a 36-year-old man for marrying and impregnating a 12-year-old girl in violation of laws against child marriage in the Pithorgarh area. As per the women's helpline in-charge SI Renu, the investigation revealed that it was the second marriage of the victim, a resident of a village in the Dharchula area.
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The girl's mother and stepfather had married her first in Dharchula in June 2021 at the age of 12. Fed up with her husband's violence, she returned to her maternal home after some time, but she has married again within six months in December 2021 to the 36-year-old man from Berinag. After the girl's pregnancy came to the fore, her husband was arrested and the police said the man she was first married to will also be arrested soon.
Women's helpline in-charge SI Renu told that the girl child is two months pregnant adding police have registered a case against the accused under Sections 376 of IPC, 5(j)(II)/6 POCSO Act, 9 Prohibition of Child Marriage Act after the Child Development Department brought the matter into the police's notice.
