The Dadu police have taken five individuals into custody on charges of trafficking a 13-year-old girl, Saima Lashari, and forcing her into marriage with an older man. The police took swift action following the registration of a First Information Report (FIR) at the A Section Police Station, filed on behalf of the State, invoking relevant sections of the Pakistan Penal Code and the Sindh Child Protection Act.
The arrested individuals include Malook, the father of the minor; Kamal, who entered into marriage with the minor girl; Moulvi Ghulam Mustafa Dawich, who conducted the Nikkah ceremony; Saida Lashari, the minor’s aunt who raised her after her biological mother’s death when she was just four years old; and Budho Lashari, the groom’s father.
According to the complainant in the FIR, the minor girl from Bhai Khan Lashari village near Dadu town was allegedly sold by her father, Malook, to Kamal Lashari for a sum of Rs 0.5 million, with the involvement of her aunt, Saida. The FIR details that the minor girl was forced into marriage with Kamal, prompting the police to take action. Upon receiving confidential information from villagers, the police conducted a raid on the village and successfully recovered the girl.
The rescued girl was presented before Judicial Magistrate Irfanullah Phull, who entrusted her to prominent members of the Lashari tribe. The other accused individuals were sent to jail to await further legal proceedings.
