999 service used to stop child marriage

A person used the newly introduced toll-free national emergency helpline 999 service to stop a child marriage in Chittagong's Rangunia early yesterday.  

One Kamal Uddin, of Dakkhin Nischintapur in the upazila, arranged the marriage of his 12-year-old daughter Ankhi Akhter to brick kiln worker Nurul Absar of the same area. 

Imtiaz Bhuiyan, officer-in-charge of Rangunia Police Station, said around 1:30am, he got a phone call through 999 service from a person who informed him about the marriage. 

Then he along with a team rushed to the spot when the gaye holud programme of the girl was going on at her house. The wedding was scheduled for yesterday. But police foiled the marriage attempt and rescued the victim, the OC said.

After the incident, they took a written undertaking from the girl's father so that he could not take further steps to marry off his daughter before she reached the marriage age of 18.

Two days ago, the 999 service was launched for emergency services.