Hyderabad: Contract marriage agent faces probe

Hyderabad: A day after the arrest of two Somalian nationals, who were involved in an attempt to solemnise a three month contract marriage with a 26-year-old woman in the Rein Bazaar area, police suspect that agent Ismail Muse had trapped other women in contract marriages.

The agents demanded Rs 20,000 as commission from the victim for getting her married to an ‘Arab Sheikh.’ The woman’s mother, Fathima, who met one of the accused, Anwari, a woman, at a ration shop had told about her inability to get her daughter married off. Anwari then offered to help her find an alliance and Fathima paid Rs 2,000 as advance.

In course of time she said that a 35-year-old Arab sheikh was ready to marry her and would give Rs 1 lakh as meher but she hid the fact that she will be his wife only for three months.

When Fathima, saw Ali Ali Mohammed, she rejected the proposal and then Ismail Muse and a woman named Parveen threatened her and asked her to approve the marriage.

They also confined her in a room. After receiving a tip-off police raided the house and arrested Ismail Muse and Anwari. Parvin is still at large and the police is looking for her.

South Zone deputy commissoner of police V. Satyanarayana said that Md Ismail Muse, a Somalian national, came to India 15 years ago on a student visa when a civil war was going on in his country.

After completing education he got married and settled here. Since then he had been helping Somalians visiting India to find accommodation.

“He had pictures of around 30 women in his mobile phone. We suspect he might have arranged many contract marriages,” he said.

Though his passport had expired he was staying in India using a card issued by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees valid till 2020.