Hyd child bride racket: Two Bahraini nationals and qazi held for trafficking

In one case, a 64-year-old Omani national was married off to a 14-year-old girl, who was 50 years younger to him.

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In yet another development that highlighted how young women from Hyderabad were being trafficked to middle eastern countries under the guise of marriage, two Bahraini nationals and a 'qazi' (Islamic judge) were arrested on Friday by the city police.

The arrested Bahraini nationals have been identified as Mohamed Mahmood Abdul Rehman Mahmood and his brother Yousuf Mahmood Abdul Rahman Mahmood Khairi.

The arrests were made during the continuing investigations into a huge racket involving aged Arab nationals marrying minor girls from poor families with the connivance of brokers and qazis.

According to police, Kulsum Begum had lodged a complaint with Bhavaninagar police station in the old city that Mohamed Mahmood Abdul Rehman Mahmood married her 29-year-old daughter on May 24.

After marriage, the Bahraini nationals took her daughter home as a maid servant and after fulfilling their sexual desire, they sent her back, said Deputy Commissioner of Police V. Satyanarayana

They were arrested following a tip-off that they were in Hyderabad again to marry another girl.

Police also arrested Qazi Askar Ali Rafai who had performed the marriage and owner of a flat who had given shelter to the Bahraini nationals.

In another case, police arrested five persons including two women brokers in connection with the marriage of a 64-year-old Omani national with a minor girl.

Salma Begum had lodged a complaint on Thursday that her 14-year-old daughter was married to Shaik Sagharoun Salim Abdullah of Oman in 2014.

Three women brokers lured the poor family into performing the marriage with the foreigner, who was in touch with two other brokers Naser Bin Mahmood and his brother Fathe Bin Mahmood. They struck the deal for Rs 1 lakh.

After the marriage, Abdullah spent a week with the girl in a lodge. He later returned to Oman and sent visa for the girl. She spent two years in Oman before returning in March this year on health grounds.

Police said as Abdullah was harassing the girl over phone to make her return to Oman, she went to Doha on maid servant's visa but was tortured by her employer.

Siddiq Ahmed, the qazi who performed the marriage, and a woman broker were absconding.

The police officer said south Zone Police has setup a special information system to collect the information about Arab nationals coming to Hyderabad for contract marriages.

In September, police had busted the racket with the arrest of 20 people including five Omani, three Qatari nations, five local brokers, three qazis and four lodge owners.

