Woman ‘locked in toilet by husband for year and a half’
Police said the woman’s husband had denied the accusations, claiming she was mentally unstable.
Police in India have rescued a woman who was allegedly locked in a toilet by her husband for a year and a half.
The woman, 39, from Haryana, North India, was discovered by protection officers on Tuesday after spending eighteen months in the 3ft-by-3ft room.
Videos and photos show her looking malnourished after ‘barely being fed’ by her husband of seventeen years.
Rajani Gupta, a District Women Protection and Child Marriage Prohibition officer, said: ‘I received an anonymous tip off about the fate of Ramrati on October 13, and after informing about it to the local police, rushed to the said spot along with my team of four personnel.
‘On reaching the house, which was unlocked, I found the victim kept locked up in a tiny toilet in the premises. From her condition, it was apparent that she was not given food properly.’
Police said the woman’s husband had denied the accusations, claiming she was mentally unstable and he had taken her to the doctors some years before.
Local officials are yet to see any medical documents that support his claim.
Ms Gupta said: ‘When asked about the documents to prove his claim, he had nothing to show which led us to not believe him.
‘Moreover, when we spoke and questioned the victim, she gave us clear answers which went against the claims of her husband.’
Orthopaedic surgeon Dr Biswajit Naidu added: ‘There are signs of long-term confinement in a cramped space which is a reduced functional capacity of multiple body systems especially the musculoskeletal system.’
Police chief Surender Dahiya said a case has been registered against the accused husband under Sections 498A and 342 of the Indian Penal Code and investigations continue.
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