DADU, May 10: Police intervened to stop the marriage of an underage girl to an underage boy in Dodo Birhamani village, Johi taluka, on Tuesday.

The DPO of Dadu, Javaid Soonharo Jiskani, told journalists that relatives of a 10-year-old girl, Kanwal alias Koori, daughter of Ghulam Nabi Gadehi, were solemnising her marriage to a 12-year-old boy, Nazar, son of Faiz Mohammad.

A team of the police department’s human rights cell conducted a raid at the house of Faiz Mohammad Gadehi. After a scuffle between police and villagers the girl was recovered and brought to DPO office, he added.

Kanwal alleged that her father had decided to marry her off to Nazar Mohammad after getting a piece of land. According to the DPO, Ghulam Nabi Gadehi, the father, had sold her in return for three acres of land.

He said police would now conduct a raid to trace the boy and his relatives.

The girl will be produced in the court of district sessions judge, Dadu.

The mother of the girl, Arbab Gadehi, said that by marrying off her underage daughter they were following the “custom of ancestors”.

She said 10 years ago she had married off her elder daughter when she was nine years old.

“I myself was married when I was barely 10 years old,” Arbab Gadehi added.

Sub-inspector Benazir Jamali, who led the raiding party, said villagers resisted the attempt to rescue the girl, thrashing police officials and smashing the windscreen of a vehicle.