A terminally ill mum has married off her 13-year-old son to a much older woman because she does not trust her husband to look after him.

The woman fears her husband will neglect the child and his younger siblings, so found him a wife, who is said be at least 30-years-old.

The couple got married in secret in the village of Kowthalam, Kurnool District, in Andhra Pradesh State in north-eastern India, reports the Metro.

The boy has three siblings and the mum hopes that his new wife will also care for them and do chores around the house if her husband abandons them.

A neighbour, who wished to remain anonymous, said: ‘As the woman’s husband is an alcoholic, she was worried that nobody would be there to take care of the family after her death.’

The unnamed family live a hand-to-mouth existence with both parents and their son working as labourers on a farm.

The mum, who is dying from an unknown condition, heard about a couple who were looking for a husband for their adult daughter and arranged the marriage in April.

After local media reported the wedding, the family went on the run and are now being hunted by police.

A source close to the investigation said: ‘We conducted a search in the village, but we could not find the family. ‘Fearing legal action, they must have fled.

‘Though media reports are saying that the bride is 23 years old, it looks like she is much older, probably 30 or more.’