Man arrested for marrying minor

HYDERABAD - A 58-year-old man was Thursday arrested in Andhra Pradesh’s East Godavari district after he married a minor girl, police said.

The bridegroom, an employee of the state-owned Road Transport Corporation, married a girl - said to be 14 years old - at a temple in Rajahmundry town of the district this morning. However, protests by local people forced him to leave the place in a hurry with his bride.

The man, who hails from Vemulawada in West Godavari district, was arrested later on charges of kidnapping and cheating as the marriage reportedly took place without the consent of the girl.

Police said they would send the girl for medical examination to establish her age as her parents have claimed that she is 18 years old.