A 15-year-old girl, who was allegedly being forced into marriage with a 21-year-old man in Rohini, Delhi, was rescued by the police.

Authorities have since moved her to a shelter home as part of the ongoing investigation.

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According to the police, the child marriage came to light when an NGO, Bal Vikas Dhara (BVD), received a tip-off and informed the law enforcement agencies.

In a statement, the BVD revealed that the wedding was set to take place at a newly-opened temple. A temple board member, who was also associated with the NGO, grew suspicious about the marriage and alerted the organization.

Multiple teams from the BVD and the police arrived at the location to investigate the matter. When questioned, the groom presented his Aadhaar card but the girl’s family hesitated to provide her identification.

Authorities noted that the family’s inconsistent responses regarding her documents further raised doubts.

A medical team was called to verify the age of the bride. Doctors confirmed that she was underage. Despite this, both families maintained that they were not breaking any laws.

Later, at the Sub-Divisional Magistrate’s office, they claimed the event was merely an engagement, not a marriage.

“An FIR was registered and an investigation was assigned. Girl was later produced before the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) in Rohini where she was confirmed as a minor at the time of the incident. The investigation is ongoing,” police said in a statement.