19-year-old married girl elopes with youth, traced in city

The youth, Ram (name changed), was in for a shock when he was informed by the police officers that his teenaged lover, Priya (name changed), was already married and had a one-year-old child back home.

Priya lived in Bengaluru and Ram worked in the same city in a textile shop. The two fell in love when Priya often visited the shop he worked in. After the couple eloped, Priya’s family filed a missing complaint with the Bengaluru police. According to police, the two were taken to Bengaluru on being traced. Priya’s secret of being married and having a child was exposed to Ram when her family accompanied the police team from Arumbakkam police station. Ram planned to elope with Priya without knowing that she was married and sought help from his friend in Chennai.

The latter reportedly arranged for a temporary accommodation for the couple and pledged his gold jewellery to provide financial aid for the couple. “I gave Ram Rs 15,000 for initial expenses and was looking for a rented house to settle them down. I was shocked to know that she was already married and had a child. My friend claimed that he was not aware of her marital status,” the friend said.