PRAYAGRAJ, June 24 -- A suspected case of child marriage and human trafficking was thwarted after a teenage girl in Pratapgarh was allegedly sold and prepared for marriage to a middle-aged man from Madhya Pradesh. Acting on a tip-off, the Child Helpline and police stepped in, rescued the girl, and detained several individuals allegedly involved in the transaction. Police have detained the prospective groom from MP, one of his associates, and two women suspected of arranging the marriage. According to officials, the girl, reported to be around 14-15 years old, is the second of four sisters from Khabhor village in the Dilippur police station area of Pratapgarh. She had recently passed Class 8, and her mother had died only a few months ago. Local residents alleged that a group of women had arranged the marriage with the consent of the girl's father. According to reports, the girl was to be married to a middle-aged man from Madhya Pradesh at Belhadevi Temple in exchange for Rs 2.5 lakh. The alleged plan came to light after villagers alerted the Child Helpline about the proposed marriage. As the Child Helpline team began investigating the matter, the wedding was reportedly postponed. Later that night, Child Helpline personnel, accompanied by police, traced the girl to her aunt's house in Keena-ka-Purva village under the City Kotwali area. She was rescued and later taken to a One-Stop Center for protection and counselling. City Kotwali SHO Subhash Yadav said the matter is under investigation and further action will be taken based on the evidence gathered. During questioning, the girl reportedly told police that she had been given Rs 10,000 to buy clothes. She also alleged that her father paid greater attention to her elder sister and was arranging her marriage in Madhya Pradesh. However, she said she was unaware of any larger financial transaction linked to the proposed marriage. Investigators are also examining the role of two women who allegedly acted as intermediaries in arranging marriages of poor girls from the district to men in Madhya Pradesh in exchange for money. During the probe, police reportedly found photographs of several girls on the mobile phone of the man who had come to marry the teenager. Officials are examining the evidence to determine whether a larger trafficking or child marriage network was involved....