CHARSADDA: The police on Monday arrested several people for giving a girl in swara to the rival family and sent the victim to Darul Aman.

An official of Tangi police said that during a nakabandi (routine check) at Bocha Pull the police personnel stopped a pickup van after they heard cries of a girl in the vehicle. On inquiry, the girl, Moomena, daughter of Ajab Gul, said that she was being transported to Afghanistan as her mother and step-brothers had handed her over to their rivals in Afghanistan in swara to settle a 16-year-old dispute, said the official.

The girl further said that her wedding was to be held with an already married man identified as Dawood, son of Khiali Gul, against her will in Shingal area of Afghanistan, said the official.

The official said that the police arrested Ms Laila, wife of Ajab Gul, Afzal Khan, Zamin Khan and Khan Zada, the step-brothers of the aggrieved girl, and jirga members, including Syed lam, Raz Mohammad and others, and sent them to police lockup.

The police told mediapersons that a step-brother of the victim girl had killed a woman, Ms Mizara, wife of Qadim Gul, some 16 years ago, and fled into Pakistan after the incident. The family was now residing in Prang Ghar area of Mohmad Agency, along the border with Charsadda.

According to jirga practice in Afghanistan, the detained jirga members said, the accused party was liable to give three girls in swara to the aggrieved party. They said two cousins of Memoona had already been given in swara to the aggrieved party and Memoona was the last one to settle the dispute between the two families.

Liala, mother of Memoona, told police that her family had given hand of Memoona when she was only one and half year old.

The police registered case under section 310A and 14 of the Foreign Act against the accused.

A local court sent Laila, mother of the swara victim, to jail and remanded the other accused into police custody for one day.

FOUR KILLED: A trader was among four persons killed and several others wounded in different incidents here on Monday.

Unknown assailants shot dead Habibullah, owner of a hardware store, in Charsadda bazaar. A passerby was also injured in the incident.

In another incident, Shakil and Asghar shot dead one Jawad. Similarly, unknown assailants gunned down one Nowsherawan of Dheri Kalley and Sirak of Mir Dil Abad in the jurisdiction Khamai police station.