In yet another dreary story of child marriage, Pakistani police officers who raided a wedding between a 22-year-old man and a five-year-old girl are claiming they were too late to stop the union.

According to Mirror, officials carried out a sudden attack on the groom identified as Habibullah Shar and others involved in the celebrations in the village of Raman Shar in Dakhan Town, Pakistan.

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Photo credit: DAWN

Unfortunately, according to reports, the police are said to have been moments too late to the event and the nuptials had already been completed.

Those arrested include the groom, the registrar Molvi Kifayatullah Bhutto, 40, and the father of the groom Gul Meer.

Also, the little bride was taken into custody along with her mother.

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Under the Early Child Marriages Restraint Act of 2013, all those accused and the bride were to be prosecuted. The action was later said to be targeting the shameless groom, his parents and parents of the girl under sections 3, 4 and 5 of the Pakistan Penal Code.

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Child marriage is considered a punishable offence in Sindh and the age of consent to this is 18 and the maximum jail term is three years.