In a strange incident, a mother reportedly tied the knot to her 12-year-old daughter studying in class V and created a scene saying that a local youth had married her at Jalakandriga village, near Machilipatnam.

According to Women Development and Child Welfare (WD&CW) Krishna district Project Director N.V. Raghava Rao, the girl was engaged to a local youth on Friday. But the bridegroom’s family had some dispute with the girl’s family members and left the place.

On Friday night, the girl’s mother reportedly tied the ‘mangalasutram’ to her daughter and complained to the community elders that the 20-year-old bridegroom had forcibly married the girl and escaped. On receiving information that a child marriage was performed in the village, the WD&CW and police rushed to the village on Saturday.

During enquiry, it was found that the girl’s mother allegedly tied the knot to blackmail the boy’s family members.

The officials counselled the girl’s parents and asked them not to get her married until the girl attained 18 years of age. They also took an undertaking from the girl’s family members in this regard. The boy’s family was not available for comment, Mr. Raghava Rao told The Hindu.