A 37-year-old Saudi groom reported his 17-year-old Egyptian child bride to police after she escaped just one day after their wedding, Masr El Youm reported.
The man also filed a complaint against the girl's father at a police station located in the country's Tokh city.
In it, the groom told officials he had paid the bride's father 125,000 Egyptian pounds ($ 6,979) right before the wedding.
Because a girl needs to be at least 18-years-old to legally marry in Egypt, the couple's marriage was conducted under a customary contract (zawaj orfi,) which is considered unofficial in Egypt.
The case has been referred to prosecution
Head of the local police department, General Alaa Farouq, launched an investigation into the matter and found evidence that corroborated the Saudi man's story.
In his statement to police, the groom said he "found" his bride through a woman who arranges weddings in Egypt.
He paid her money, which she then handed over to the bride's father. He also rented out an apartment for the young girl.
The morning after their wedding, the man woke up and discovered that the child bride had escaped.
Thinking she'd gone back home, the groom went to the girl's father asking him if he'd seen her, but he was told she hadn't come back home.
Child marriage cases are widespread in Egypt and globally
Child marriage cases are widespread in Egypt and continue to be a major problem, especially in rural areas.
Last year, the issue sparked controversy in the country after several preachers, and even an Egyptian MP, called on authorities to lower the marital age for girls.
It is also a prevalent problem in Arab countries and other states around the globe.
According to the World Economic Forum, 117 countries around the world allow child marriages, either because there is no age specification or it is allowed under certain circumstances.
Globally, UNICEF says 39,000 child marriages occur daily, with one in three girls in the developing world forced into marriage before the age of 18.