I've got a feeling quite a few TAs should move to India.

Police force couple to marry

August 18, 2004

TWO Bangladeshi lovers found themselves frogmarched down the aisle by police after pretending to be married when they checked into a hotel, a report said.

Acting on a tipoff, officers raided the hotel and arrested engineer Mominur Rahman Chowdhury and his university student girlfriend Shefali Khatun Shelley, The Independent daily said.

The pair, who were not engaged, were taken to a police station where the officer in charge called both their parents and told Chowdhury to marry Shelley or face a rape charge.

Chowdhury finally agreed and with the consent of both couples' parents the wedding was solemnised at Boalia police station in the northwest city of Rajshahi, 210 km from the capital Dhaka, the report added.

Mixed-sex couples are expected to be married when checking into hotels in conservative Bangladesh.

The majority of couples in the Muslim-majority country have arranged marriages. Before marrying they are usually chaperoned by family members and spend little time alone together.

Agence France-Presse

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TA all round nice guy.