Indiana couple accused of selling 13-year-old daughter into marriage

FORT WAYNE, Ind. — An Indiana couple is accused of selling their 13-year-old daughter to a 27-year-old man to be married, authorities said.

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Se Dar Be, 37, of Fort Wayne, was charged Thursday with child selling where the defendant transfers or receives property for terminating the care of a dependent and neglect of a dependent, The Journal Gazette of Fort Wayne reported.

She was booked at the Allen County Jail and posted bail on Friday, according to court records.

Sadid Mot, of Fort Wayne, identified as the girl’s father, is facing identical counts, the newspaper reported.

Zee Kdee Ya, 27, was identified by police as the would-be groom of the underage girl, according to the Journal Gazette.

The investigation dates to Dec. 20, 2020, when Fort Wayne police responded after receiving a call that a girl was being forced to marry against her will, WPTA reported.

Officers discovered “a wedding celebration” with the teen wearing a dress and a veil, the television station reported. She was also wearing makeup.

According to court records, the teen told police that her parents had arranged the marriage and “she didn’t want that.” She said that a week before the ceremony, her parents signed the paperwork in Burmese.

A probable cause affidavit states that the girl had been staying with Ya, “sharing a room and a bed with him.”

When the teen refused to consummate the marriage, Ya “began quoting the Bible and saying ‘I own you now, I can make you do what I want,’” according to the Journal Gazette.

According to court documents, Be stated the girl “was only getting engaged and wouldn’t get married until she was 18 years old.”

A representative of the Department of Child Services told police that she informed Mot repeatedly that actions to “marry his daughter off” were illegal because of her age, WPTA reported.

Be and Mot are scheduled to appear in court on Monday, according to court records.

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