A 17-year-old boy has been arrested in east Delhi’s Laxmi Nagar area for allegedly marrying a minor girl and getting her pregnant, according to the police.
According to police, the incident came to light when a PCR call was received from Lal Bahadur Shastri (LBS) hospital, reporting that a seven-month pregnant minor girl had come for a check-up.
Upon reaching the hospital, the police interviewed the girl, who hails from West Bengal, and she revealed that she and her cousin were in love.
They had performed a ‘nikah’ (Islamic marriage ceremony) in West Bengal on August 25, 2022, as confirmed by a senior police officer. In January, they had relocated to Delhi and were living in a rented accommodation in West Jawahar Park.
On Monday, the girl visited LBS hospital for a routine check-up, and due to her being a minor, the attending doctor informed the Sakhi center and alerted the police. Consequently, a case was registered under the Indian Penal Code and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
Following counselling and a medical examination, the girl was kept under hospital observation while the boy was apprehended and presented before the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) on Tuesday, said police.
The JJB released the juvenile with an undertaking and scheduled the next hearing for age verification. The investigation is currently ongoing, they said. (With inputs from PTI)
