Chief qazi of Mumbai arrested in minor marriage case

Hyderabad: Fareed Ahmed Khan, the chief qazi of Mumbai, was taken into custody on Monday evening in relation to the case of Omani national Al-Rahbi Ahmed Abdullah who married a minor girl from the Old City five months ago.

The police, while investigating the case, discovered that Fareed had issued the marriage certificate on the basis of which the Omani national was able to obtain a visa for the girl and subsequently took her to Muscat.

Abdullah had married the 16-year-old girl on the outskirts of the city. Because it is difficult for a foreign national to be issued a marriage certificate locally, the certificate had been arranged from Mumbai.

“Fareed issued the certificate and he has admitted to it,” said an official involved in the investigation.

A team of police officers from the city, headed by an inspector, reportedly raided the office of the chief qazi, took him into custody, and seized the records.

“On examining the records, we found that the qazi had issued certificates to several foreign nat-ionals, especially people from Gulf countries. He issued certificates for marriages performed in Odisha, Karnataka and other states,” said the official.

The qazi has reportedly collected several lakhs of rupees by working in collusion with brokers for the facilitation of contract marriages. “He charged lakhs of rupees for issuing marriage certificates,” said the police. Teams are continuing to conduct searches at the residencies of persons suspected to be involved in contract marriage rackets. 

Raids are being carried out at lodges and hotels in the city to nab foreign nationals who have come to the city for such marriages.