Union Minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi on Thursday said she would request External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to rescue a 16-year-old girl, who has been married to an Omani sheikh in his sixties, reportedly for Rs. 5 lakh.
Ms. Gandhi took to Twitter to respond to media reports on the incident, which she termed “deeply disturbing”.
“Have asked the Commissioner of Police, Hyderabad, to investigate the case and identify the persons who forced this illegal marriage,” she tweeted.
“I would request @SushmaSwaraj to intervene and bring the girl back to India from Oman,” the Minister wrote on the microblogging site.
She also asked the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights to contact the girl's family.
According to media reports, the Class 8 student was married to 65-year-old Ahmed three months ago.
The girl’s parents on Wednesday filed a complaint with the police, alleging that her aunt facilitated the illegal marriage for money.