Hyderabad: Contract marriage menace continues, racket busted, four arrested
What's the story
Four people, including two women, were arrested yesterday in Hyderabad for their involvement in a contract marriage racket. They were arrested from a house in Mailardevpally, while the wedding-ceremonies were still going on. Among the four arrested, one was a Sudanese, who was the 'groom', and the other three, all residents of Hyderabad, served as marriage brokers and witnesses to the 'nikah', cops said.
Details
The Sudanese groom had paid Rs. 1L for the marriage
Officers from the Cyberabad special operations team (SOT) said the 31-year-old Sudanese, Wail Mohammed, had paid Rs. 1L to the family of the girl, the 'bride', for a three-month contract marriage. Wail, who works as an accountant at Omdurman city of Khartoum state (Sudan), had landed in Hyderabad on November 14 on a visit visa, and had met Habeeb Khan, a marriage broker.
Information
Two women, who acted as mediators, were made witnesses
Wail paid 44-year-old Habeeb a sum of Rs. 1L to give to the girl's family and arrange for the wedding. "Two women, Shamem Sulthana of Sanjay Gandhi Nagar, and Shabana Begum of Bandlaguda, who acted as mediators, were made witnesses," said Mailardevpally Sub-inspector G Rajesh.
Action
Seized: Sudanese's passport, fake marriage papers, Rs. 1.1L, $300
The wedding was subsequently organized at a house in Roshan Colony, Vattepally (Mailardevpally), yesterday. The SOT got a whiff of the same and inspected the house, where they found the contract marriage was already underway. Wail, Jahanuma-resident Habeeb, Shamem and Shabana were subsequently nabbed and cops also seized Wail's passport, two fake marriage agreements, one stamp pad, Rs. 1.1 lakh cash and $300.
Information
Habeeb was a regular offender of contract marriages
The SOT team has handed over the arrested four and the seized material to the Mailardevpally police for further action. The woman was rescued, cops said, adding Habeeb was a regular offender of contract marriages and that Vattepally house was always used for such weddings.
Context
Contract marriage is an elaborately networked racket in Hyderabad
Contract marriages aren't a new thing in the old city of Hyderabad. It's rather a pretty prevalent practice, involving 'agents', who are city residents and Gulf nationals, who arrive in India on visit visa. These parties lure poor families and convince them to marry off their daughters against a huge sum. Even the qazis (Muslim cleric) are part of this elaborate network.
Process
After 'nikah', girl gets trafficked out on forged documents
After the 'nikah' gets done, the new helpless and hapless 'bride' is trafficked out of the country on forged documents arranged by the agent. Hyderabad police claims such cases have now been contained after their major crackdown last year, where they had arrested several individuals, including five from Oman, three from Qatar and eight from other Arab countries. However, activists counter that claim.
Warning
'It's a systematic problem, not easy to get rid of'
Not much has changed on ground, except for the tactics of the racketeers, said anti-human trafficking activists. "It is a systematic problem and not easy to get rid of," noted Jameela Nishat of Shaheen Women's Resource and Welfare Association, who has been working on the issue for last two decades. The need of the hour is strong policies and on-the-ground work, she suggested.