SUKKUR, Aug 10: A shopkeeper has claimed that a 14-year-old Hindu girl who went missing from her home in Jacobabad has embraced Islam and “married me of her free will”.

Ghulam Murtaza Channa, who deals in mobile phones, stated in a petition he filed in the Sindh High Court’s Sukkur circuit bench on Thursday that Mansha Kumari, daughter of Rawat Mal, had eloped with him and embraced Islam under the guidance of Maulana Fateh Mohammad at the shrine of Amrot, near Shikarpur, on Aug 7.

She was renamed Mehwash and her Nikah was solemnised with him, the petitioner said.

Mr Channa requested the court to “give us protection”, alleging that police contingents from Sukkur and Jacobabad were conducting raids to arrest him in the girl’s kidnapping case lodged by her father.

The court took up the petition on Friday and directed the SSP of Sukkur and the SHOs of New Pind police station of Sukkur and City police station of Jacobabad to take steps for the petitioner’s safety.

The court also issued notices to the girl Mehwash, her father and brother Ram Mal to appear before it on Aug 16 to record their statements.

Rawat Mal, the girl’s father, has lodged an FIR in Jacobabad against Ghulam Murtaza Channa and two others, accusing them of kidnapping his daughter.

Police have carried out raids in different areas of Jacobabad to recover Mehwash and arrest Channa.