In a shocking turn of events, eight individuals, including three Chinese nationals, were arrested by police in Sunsari while attempting to marry off a 16-year-old Nepali girl to a Chinese man. The incident took place at the Auliya Baba temple in Chatara, Sunsari, where the girl, a resident of Chathar Jorpati-2, Dhankuta, was about to be wed to 33-year-old Li Teng, a Chinese citizen from Hubei province.

The arrested individuals include the girl's father, Li Teng, 43-year-old Deepak Darji from Belka Municipality-9 in Udayapur, 42-year-old Badri Bikram Rai from the same area, 20-year-old Shital Gurung from Putalibazaar Municipality-12, Syangja, and 20-year-old Roshanimaya Tamang from Roshi Rural Municipality-3, Kavrepalanchok. Along with them, two more Chinese nationals—35-year-old Dong Shihao and Wu Heji—were also taken into custody.

According to Nepali law, the legal age for marriage is 20, and forcing or arranging marriages for minors is strictly prohibited. Violating this law can lead to the marriage being annulled, with perpetrators facing up to three years of imprisonment and a fine of 30,000 rupees, as per the Muluki Devani Samhita 2074.

Sunsari Police Superintendent Suman Timalsina stated that the girl was rescued during the forced marriage attempt. The girl's father claimed he had arranged the marriage believing it was in his daughter's best interest, especially as a neighboring girl had also married a Chinese national. "It seems the presence of a Chinese man, the groom’s brother-in-law, encouraged the father to go through with it," SP Timalsina explained.

Authorities are investigating the reasons behind the involvement of the Chinese nationals. It was revealed that the girl’s relatives had alerted the police after learning of the forced marriage plans, prompting a timely intervention at the wedding site.