PANJIM: Two months ago, a 14-year-old girl eloped with a 16-year-old boy, from the same village. Their intention was to get married, reportedly away from Goa. Their plan flopped after the Verna Police tracked them within 72 hours of the complaint.
The couple confessed to being in love, prompting them to take the step as their families would be against their decision.
The number of child kidnappings and missing cases is witnessing an increase but what has worried more is widespread teenage elopement.
13 cases under the category “kidnapping/missing/runaway” recorded with the Victims Assistance Unit (VAU) are by and large about teenage love.
These figures are only for the first three months of the current calendar year with two cases registered at Verna Police Station and one each at Agassaim, Panjim, Colvale, and Mapusa among others.
The Victims Assistance Unit (VAU) (which works with the police and the government) reports to the Children’s Court, Department of Women and Child, and Goa State Commission for Protection of Child Rights also has cases where children from families prefer to escape than bear the brunt at their respective homes.
“Out of the total cases we have handled, 99 percent of kidnapping cases are teenage elopement while one percent is owing to family problems,” VAU Chief in Goa Emidio Pinho said.
The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report for 2020 had 36 child kidnapping cases, of which a maximum of 17 cases are juveniles aged between 12 and 16 years followed by 15 cases among the 16-18 age group. The report, which compiles cases reported across all the States and Union Territories, also speaks about several cases of elopement for marriage or sexual encounters.
“Majority cases are elopement for marriage. Technically these juveniles elope on their wish but the accused are booked as per the law,” a police official, who has handled these cases, told Herald.
Goa recently reported another similar case while the only difference was that the accused was a major. The girl, hailing from Uttar Pradesh, had reportedly hidden her original age from the boy she fell in love with.
Sources said, the 22-year-old boy from Haryana enquired if she was a major and to prove her age, the girl produced her Aadhaar Card and her school certificates.
“She allegedly forged the papers to show she was 2000 born, although she is 2005 born. The couple eloped to Haryana where their wedding was solemnized in presence of his family. The truth was out after the girl’s family lodged a complaint with the police. We registered First Information Report under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act and Goa Children’s Act against the boy and began the investigation,” said the official on the condition of anonymity.
Such cases also come to the fore with several agencies conducting probes at the same time.
The first three months also recorded at least four suicide attempts, one of which was due to a relationship issue.
