A 15-year-old's journey from deception to freedom

At 15, Meera* met her online boyfriend for the first time, only to discover he had lied about his identity. She was held captive for a month, forced into marriage, and abused. One desperate call to her aunt led to her rescue. With VIHAAN's support, Me

Meera lost her father when she was only one year old. In 2022, she also lost her mother

to kidney-related issues. Since birth, Meera had been living with her maternal aunt and

uncle in a rural area, calling them mother and father.

At 15 years old, Meera was a student in class 9 at a government school. She had

completed her 1st and 2nd semester exams, and her registration was already done.

She attended school regularly, and life seemed to be moving forward.

But then everything changed.

Meera fell into a relationship with a boy over the phone. He was approximately 8 years

older than her. The relationship continued for four months. One day in March 2025,

Meera left home with some money to meet her boyfriend for the first time.

When she reached his house, Meera realized he had lied about his religion and identity.

She wanted to leave immediately and return home, but the boy and his family kept her

locked in a room. They forcefully arranged a marriage. Her aunt and uncle noticed she

was missing and went to the police station to file a missing persons report.

For around a month, Meera was held there. She faced physical and sexual abuse by

the boy and became pregnant. The family monitored her constantly. She tried to

escape, but it was impossible. The boy pressured her to bring more money from her

aunt and uncle. He even attempted to attack her with a blade when she refused.

One day, Meera managed to call her aunt. "Maa save me, they will kill me, please give

me money,"  she pleaded. Her aunt quietly told her to come and take the money. Within

two days, when Meera came back asking for money, her aunt and uncle followed the

police's plan and handed her over to the authorities.

The police interacted with Meera and began investigating the case. They collected

details about the man from her, and he was arrested. The police then contacted

VIHAAN to help with trauma response and care. VIHAAN's social worker supported her

throughout her legal case and stood by her side when it turned out she was pregnant

and needed a medical termination of pregnancy.

Finally, after a long recovery and tedious legal procedures, the accused went to jail and

was booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act and kidnapping

charges.

*Name has been changed to protect the survivor's identity.